Dark Heart Part Two
by VraieEsprit
Summary: Said it'd be soon! Sasami is losing herself in dreams and Ryoko is set to take a huge gamble to save Ayeka's life. Washu has been called on to help, but it's clear she knows more than she's been letting on. And what happens when a heart stops to beat?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Part Two**

Those who are avid watchers of the Tenchi Universe series will notice that there are a few startling liberties taken in this part with the Jurai royal family. Those familiar with the OVA will notice that suddenly Azusa is no longer Ayeka's father. Ok, so I can't quite explain this, but then I'm also not sure how to explain what goes on in the actual Universe series (where Jurai has no Emperor but Yosho is a Crown Prince...yet Ayeka is first in line to the throne...but apparently not of the direct line...blaaah. LOL!) So I, er, mashed the two together and reinvented the Juraian dynasty a little. It was the only way I could compact both series down into one logical royal dynasty, so I am sorry if anyone is upset by that...

Second thing is I haven't quite worked out why FFnet keeps deleting my dividing lines between segments, as it uploads without them and without proper section spacing. I'm still trying to fix part one because it's ugly how sections are running into one another, but until I work out how to make it accept my spacing or dividing, I'm a bit at a loss to correctly format my story. (It's slightly annoying, and I'm sorry if it's made reading at all difficult for anyone. It doesn't look that way on my original file, so I have no idea what's going on with it on the server!)

Chapters for this part also continue numerically from the first part, since that's how I wrote it. So don't worry...I haven't forgotten to upload anything! Part Two should start with Chapter Ten!

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The Story So Far

_After releasing Ryoko from her prison aboard the new Galaxy Police Headquarters, Kiyone and Mihoshi are once more on the run from their superiors across space in the long-suffering Yagami. Their gamble - that Ryoko and Ryo Ohki can help them track down a wanted Space Pirate called Haki, who has taken Princess Ayeka hostage and is holding her for the ransom of three mythical Juraian gems. Tenchi has also been pulled into the mission by a worried Sasami, though Ryoko seems surprisingly un-glad to see him, and is keeping a secret the fact that she already possesses two of the gemstones that Haki so desperately seeks._

But is Tsunami more than just a spaceship? _What do Sasami's strange dreams mean, and who is trying to speak to her through them? Can Ryoko control the magic of the gems, or will they ultimately force her to sacrifice everything she holds dear?_

And can they rescue Ayeka from Haki's clutches before it's too late?

------------------------**  
DARK HEART: PART TWO  
A Tenchi Muyo Fanfiction by VraieEsprit  
**  
**  
Chapter Ten**

_"One. Two. Three. Four. Five."_

_The young girl gathered the delicate blooms up in her small hands, clutching them tightly as she giggled with joy. They were a mixture of colours, like nothing she had ever seen before, and clumsily she began to try and feed them together the way Mother had once shown her, to make a crown of blossoms._

_"Who are you?"_

_A voice startled her and she turned, seeing a girl of about her own age watching her with a mixture of wary curiosity and alarm. The child stood up, dropping the flowers to the grassy floor as she did so._

_"Ryoko." She said simply. _

_The other girl watched her for a moment, then a frown touched her expression._

_"Nobody else is supposed to be here." She fretted. "This planet belongs to my Uncle and my family and noone else is allowed to come here. These are my pretty flowers - why are you hurting them?"_

_"I'm not hurting them." Ryoko's eyes became big with surprise. "I'm making them into a pretty crown. My Mother taught me how."_

_"But they're my family's flowers!" The other girl exclaimed, reaching down to scoop up Ryoko's clumsy attempt at a floral chain. "Father told me so. They belong to me and to my family and you're stealing them! Give them back to me right now!"_

_"That's my crown!" Ryoko reached out a fist for the flowers, but the other child stepped back, putting her hands on her hips._

_"I am the Princess Ayeka of the Planet Jurai." She said, with a childish sense of self-importance. "Nobody's allowed to tell me what to do. And you shouldn't be here. So there. You have to go play somewhere else, or my Grandfather will get you."_

_Ryoko hesitated, tears blinking in the depths of her amber eyes. Then a look of stubborn determination came over her and she lunged for Ayeka, grabbing the twist of blossoms and wrenching it from the Princess's grip, tearing some of the stems in the process._

_"It's mine and I made it and I don't care about your stupid grandfather!" She exclaimed. "They told me I could play here. It's part of my Mother's game!"_

_"Give me that back!"_

_"Won't!"_

_"You're rude!"_

_"You're mean!"_

_"I said give me that!"_

_"No!" As Ayeka reached out a hand for the flowers, Ryoko ducked out of her way, flickering and disappearing only to reappear several feet further away. Ayeka's eyes became big with fear._

_"What are you?" She demanded, taking a step back. "Are you a demon? Are you some kind of a monster?"_

_"I'm not a monster!" Ryoko's eyes opened wide with hurt surprise. "I'm Ryoko and I want to play with the flowers. That's all."_

_"Well, these are Jurai's flowers an' nobody is allowed to play here unless I say so." Ayeka folded her arms. "You're weird and creepy and I don't like you. Go away."_

_"I won't go away!" Before either of them knew what was happening, Ryoko lunged at the Princess, grabbing a thick tail of hair in her hands and pulling it firmly. Ayeka let out a shriek, struggling to release herself but Ryoko clung on firmly, knocking the other girl to the ground and sitting on top of her._

_"Get off me!"_

_"Then leave me alone!"_

_"Ryoko! Ayeka-chan! What is going on here?"_

_A woman's voice broke through the childish dispute and strong hands pulled Ryoko off of her opponant, holding her firmly in her grip as the young girl struggled and fought to get free. "No! I won't have this kind of behaviour from either of you! Ayeka, you should be ashamed of yourself! How does a Princess of Jurai behave?"_

_Ayeka scrambled to her feet, red tinging her cheeks as she dropped her gaze to the grass._

_"I'm sorry, Mother." She said softly. "But she started it. She's mean and she's a monster. She was stealing our flowers."_

_"Wasn't stealing any flowers!" Ryoko fought against the woman's grip once more. "Was only playing with them!"_

_The woman's face became thoughtful, and she set Ryoko down on her feet, holding her firmly around the wrists as she did so._

_"Azusa should not have brought you here." She said aloud. "Whatever your story, I won't tolerate anyone attacking my little girl. It's not acceptable behaviour, Ryoko. You are a guest in this land, and you really need to learn some manners. What would your Mother say if she knew you'd been fighting?"_

_Ryoko's golden eyes became sullen._

_"Mother isn't here." She said flatly. _

_"No, she isn't, but that's no reason to behave like a hooligan." The woman shook her head. "I think you should go back to your room and think about that very carefully. If we're going to take you back to Jurai, you're going to have to learn to behave yourself. I won't have this kind of incident again."_

_Ryoko kicked her feet, glaring at Ayeka. Then she turned on her heel, flouncing bad temperedly off across the meadow towards the big structure where she had slept for the last three days and nights. She did not hear the remainder of the conversation between Ayeka and her mother, but resentment boiled up inside of her as she stomped across the ground. She only paused to retrieve her damaged, dented daisy chain, knowing that it was ruined but unwilling to fully let it go. _

Sasami tossed and turned in her bed, muttering something incoherent as the dreamscape darkened, and bolts of lightning seemed to split the pretty field into shards of fading colours. Lost in her sleep, the whispers of a tree's branches, sighing and groaning under the pressure of heavy winds seemed almost like words to the small girl, as if someone, somehow was trying to tell her a story.

She rolled over onto her other side as the world in her mind grew ever blacker, pulling her further and further away from the safety of Yagami's cabins.

_It was night. A bird hooted a call to it's mate across the frozen landscape, the moons of the curved planet glinting feebly off the iced water and highlighting for the briefest moments the branches of a multitude of trees. Winter had never been so cold, and the people had shivered for many long months together, but at last the thaw was upon them, and the wild winds that spelt the beginning of spring were beginning to pour across the landscape, slowly waking the dozing countryside from it's long slumbers._

_The fields began to loose their glassy green hue, as flowers began to sprout all across the landscape, lifting their heads to the rays of the sun._

_But in one corner of the world, there was no sun, and no flowers came to bloom. Only one tree stood there, it's branches reaching up to the sky in a warped, twisted imitation of it's brother and sister trees. Stunted and deformed, the tree had fought many long battles to grow straight and true alongside the others, but still they shunned him and shunned the one with whom he shared his heart. Too late the darkness had spread into him, growing like a cancer throughout his core until all of the tree were as black as his trunk. As the others dropped their bright glistening sap, thick dark liquid oozed from his branches, dropping in viscous red patches onto the ground below. Wherever the sap touched, the plants beneath shrivelled and died, and the people saw it as a sign._

_The tree struggled on, as his trunk grew more and more twisted with every turn of the sun. Every green shoot he forged out into the sunlight soon became tainted and greyed like the others, the leaves blackening and falling to the ground as a mournful carpet of death. And as the one with whom he shared his heart grew blacker, so did the trunk of the old tree. He did not die, though he longed for it. Death could not come to one so bonded as he was to his master. And yet all of the world knew that this darkness was an omen. One day, the heart with whom he shared his life would return. And the sky would become black once more._

Many tried to kill the tree, cut it down where it stood, but it always prevailed. Those who approached it seldom returned to their homes, driven mad by the darkness exposed in the old tree's wounded trunk. Soon, noone came to the tree and it lived its life alone and abandoned, waiting for the day it's master returned. Darkness enveloped it and deep within the earth the goddess wept for the soul of her lost son, for she knew that time could not save him. And as the one whose heart he shared burnt and destroyed, so the heart of the tree ached and bled for a life he had never been allowed to touch.  
  
Sasami let out a shriek, sitting up in her bed and clutching her covers to her as she stared, wide-eyed across the cabin of the ship. For a moment she did not know where she was, the image of the twisted tree burnt into her mind, but as she drew slow breaths into her lungs, reality began to seep back into her consciousness and the wild look left her eyes. She sank back against the wall.

"I'm scared." She murmured. "Why am I having these dreams? Why me? Why now? What's going on here? Am I just worried about Ayeka?"

She pushed back her covers, getting to her feet and pulling the sheet around her like a dressing gown as she pushed the button to open the door, heading down slowly to the main body of the ship. Nobody else was there, and she switched on the lights, sitting down on the steel bench and resting her chin in her hands.

Her head ached and span, and she bit back the tears that longed to fall.

"Why is this happening to me?" She asked aloud. "That poor tree...why am I seeing things like that? I never dream so vividly...why am I dreaming now?"

A sudden chill breeze whipped past her, teasing at her bound hair and causing her to wrap her blanket more tightly around her. She shivered involuntarily.

"I don't understand." She whispered. "I just want it to stop already! First some weird dream about a volcano, just before Kamadake tells me about the jewels that guy wants. And now...Ayeka and Ryoko...and...a tree. A poor, lonely, dying tree."

She swallowed hard.

"So cruel." She murmured. "How could anyone do that to a living thing with whom they are bonded? Ayeka would rather die than hurt Ryu Oh. And I..."

She faltered, and for a moment it was like she could hear the rustle of tree branches in the wind. She turned around, but there was nothing behind her but the plain steel walls of Yagami and the sparse furniture the room boasted. She sighed, rubbing her temples.

"I just don't get it." She muttered.

"Tsunami."

The word had not been spoken aloud, and yet Sasami started, staring once more around her for any source of the whisper. She got to her feet, truly afraid now.

"Tsunami?" She echoed. "I don't get it! Tsunami went back to Jurai with Azaka and Kamadake. She's gone home now. She's not here any more."

There was no reply, but the rustle of tree boughs continued to echo in the back of her mind.

"Tell me who you are! Tell me what's going on!" She exclaimed. "I don't understand, Tsunami! Why are you doing this to me? Is it because I sent you away? Because I didn't mean to upset you...I just had to do it. I thought you understood. Please, Tsunami, stop haunting my dreams! If you were created from the Tree of Life, why did you make me dream about a tree being starved and bullied to death? It doesn't make any sense! Ryu Oh never makes Ayeka have bad dreams! I don't want to have them either!"

The breeze ran round the chamber once more, flipping up the lid of the waste disposal unit and sending a spray of paper scraps across the room. Sasami let out a yell, leaping backwards and almost falling over the bench in her hurry to get away. As the impossible wind dropped once more, the shards of paper fell neatly onto the floor in front of her, and as she glanced at them, she realised they spelt out a crude word.

"Souja." She read softly. "What's that, Tsunami? Is that the name of the tree? Is he real? But...why are you telling me this? What has it to do with Ayeka and Ryoko? And...and what has it to do with me, Tsunami?"

There was a moment of silence, and a cold realisation dawned in Sasami's frightened eyes.

"You're not my ship." She whispered. "You're the real Tsunami...the Tree of Life, the one who is mother of all of our trees! It is you, isn't it, Tsunami? And you're trying to tell me something...but what? Please help me understand. I don't know what all of these things mean, put together."

There was no response, and the sound of rustling leaves was gone. Sasami sank back down onto the bench, burying her head in her hands.

"I'm confused." She muttered. "For a moment I almost thought that...but that's crazy, isn't it? Was she speaking to me? But why would she? And that poor tree...why did she show me that tree, instead of all the hundreds of happy and healthy trees on Jurai? What's important about him, I wonder? Oh, I hate this! I want Ayeka and I want to go home! I wish she'd never run away - everything was so happy back on Jurai before she did!"

"Sasami?"

Tenchi's voice startled her and she glanced up, meeting his enquiring look with a wan smile as she covertly scattered the scraps of paper with her foot, rendering the word unintelligible.

"Hi Tenchi." She said. "Can't sleep?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Tenchi came to join her, sitting down beside her. "What's wrong, Sasami? Are you sick? You look pale."

"No...just scary dreams." Sasami bit her lip. "I don't know what they were about, but Ayeka and Ryoko were there. It was like a memory, only it's not a memory I have, because Ayeka was really young and so was Ryoko. I wasn't even born then, so I guess it was just made up. And then there was a tree, Tenchi, but he was hurt and it wasn't nice. I don't understand any of it, but I don't like it."

"Sounds like you're worrying about your sister a little too much." Tenchi said gently. "Not that I blame you. I'm worried about her too, especially since there's been no further contact made with Jurai by that Haki guy. I've been checking all the news channels and Yagami's police briefings but there's been nothing."

"And Ryo Ohki hasn't sniffed him out yet, either." Sasami sighed. "I know. I am worried about her. Maybe you're right. Ayeka is the closest person to me in the whole world, Tenchi. Even when we argue, I love her more than anything. I just...I don't want to lose her."

"No, nobody wants that." Tenchi hugged her tightly. "Hey, you're freezing! You shouldn't be out here like this when it's so cold."

"I think my dream made me cold." Sasami admitted. "Do you really think we'll find her, Tenchi?"

"I think we have to think nothing else." Tenchi advised her. "And believe in Ryo Ohki. And Ryoko, for that matter. I was looking for her, Sasami - have you seen her? She wasn't in the cabin Kiyone said she was using."

"You went to her cabin?" Sasami's eyes became big, distracted from her dream for a moment and Tenchi reddened.

"Not like that!" He protested. "I just went to make sure she was all right. She wasn't...well, she didn't seem herself earlier. But I don't know where she is now."

"I haven't seen her." Sasami shook her head. She looked pensive, leaning up against him.

"Kiyone said she had a hard time in prison, being locked up and all. She said she's been more bad-tempered of late and even had a fight with another prisoner." She added. "Maybe she's just got to get used to being free again, or something. I don't know. Ryoko's fun but when she's angry, she's angry."

"Tell me about it." Tenchi sighed. "She almost threw poor Mihoshi across here earlier on, just for something she said. You know Mihoshi - she wouldn't hurt a fly. She just says the wrong thing, and usually Ryoko's pretty cool with that. But this time she just...well, she went over the top."

"Poor Mihoshi." Sasami said thoughtfully. "And poor Ryoko. I'd hate to have been locked up, Tenchi. Especially when she loves to fly so much."

"Yes, I suppose it was hard on her." Tenchi admitted. "Oh well. I guess I'll leave it for this evening. Knowing her she's probably disdained the bunk altogether and is perched somewhere awkward, snoozing her head off. I'll find her in the morning, when we're all refreshed. If I can get my head around morning in Deep Space - it's kinda hard to tell the night from the day."

"But it's fun, still." Sasami giggled, colour returning to her cheeks. "I'm glad you were up though, Tenchi. My dream scared me, but I'm not so scared any more."

"I'm glad about that." Tenchi grinned. "Then I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes." Sasami nodded, getting to her feet and scooping up her blanket. "Tomorrow, Tenchi. And no more bad dreams for me, I hope!"

--------

"Another alert from the Galaxy Police...another potential Yagami sighting."

Kiyone dropped down beside the breakfast table with a defeated groan, lifting her mug of tea and taking a sip. "I don't know how much longer we can evade their searches, guys. I know we've done it before, but I'm finding it more difficult this time. I think every single recruit in the Galaxy Police Force knows what Yagami looks like, that's the trouble. And with the ship being bright red, it's not exactly camouflaged in space like this black ship we're chasing apparently is. I'm at a loss. Does anyone have any bright ideas? Short of abandoning Yagami altogether and taking up in Ryo Ohki, I'm not sure what we can do."

"Ryo Ohki isn't exactly any less conspicuous." Tenchi pointed out, sending the cabbit a glance from where he had been polishing off the last of his breakfast. "Besides, the only one who can pilot her properly is Ryoko and...where is Ryoko, by the way? Has she had breakfast?"

"Well, I put food out for everyone and hers is gone." Sasami shrugged her shoulders. "So unless someone had two helpings, I guess she did. I didn't see her come, Tenchi, but you know how she can flit in and out of places when she wants to. Maybe I just didn't catch her - I was busy with the tea."

She made herself more comfortable, beckoning to Ryo Ohki to join her, and the cabbit bounced into her lap, miaowing. 

"Maybe she's still mad at me." Mihoshi looked uncharacteristically chastened. "Do you think she is, Kiyone? Because I did say sorry and all, and really it was just a question, you know."

"Mihoshi, Ryoko has an attitude problem." Kiyone sighed. "She probably always did have one...after all she's a space pirate, and that should go without saying. But...a worse one than she had before. Prison mentality...I've seen it before. She's been confined and in enforced company with odious people at set times - mealtimes, bathing, whatever. The guards are strict and they go out of their way to humiliate her as much as they can, because they see her as defiant and too big for her boots. I don't know if that's the best way to treat a prisoner like Ryoko, and I tried to call them on it, but they don't seem to care what I say much anyway. And I couldn't get too involved, you know? Favouring one prisoner over the others is not the done thing. It would have looked bad for both of us."

"No doubt she'll come back to join us when she's ready." Sasami said with a shrug. "I think she's okay, Kiyone. Ryo Ohki's not worried about her - are you, Ryo Ohki?"

The small creature paused in her washing, shaking her head. Sasami beamed.

"There, you see?" She said. "Ryo Ohki would know if Ryoko was in trouble...I guess she just wants to be alone for a bit."

"I guess she does." Tenchi acknowledged. "But since she's the only one who knows anything about this Haki character...well, aside from the police reports - it's not very helpful of her."

"Right now we have more pressing things to think about." Kiyone drummed her fingers on the table. "Like how to keep Yagami off police radars. At close quarters, it's pretty impossible to hide a ship this big from their ident scanners. But at distance..."

She sighed.

"If I thought we could get away with it, I'd book the ship in for a repaint." She admitted.

Tenchi's eyes opened wide at this.

"Washu!" He exclaimed.

"Washu?" Kiyone stared.

"She's cloaked Yagami before...hasn't she? I'm sure we could track her down and ask her for help doing so again." Tenchi replied.

"Oh, it would be great to see Washu again!" Mihoshi's eyes lit up with excitement. "Can we, Kiyone?"

Kiyone bit her lip.

"Washu is an unstable madwoman obsessed with blowing up the universe." She said slowly. "I agree she's helped us in the past, but then again, someone that nuts...what's to stop her hopping aboard and converting the entire ship into some kind of atomic weapon?"

"She is a genius, though." Sasami pointed out. "She's so smart, she'd be able to do it in no time. And she's our friend too, Kiyone. She wouldn't blow us up because she likes us."

"Maybe." Kiyone was reticent. "But it depends if she'd even want to help. She's been locked away in that lab of hers for the longest time, working on whatever it is she's devising now. She's not a big fan on interruptions, and the life of a Princess of Jurai might not mean as much in her warped brain as whichever circuits she's putting together right now."

"But we could try, surely?" Tenchi asked. "It wouldn't hurt and it might help."

"I suppose it might." Kiyone sighed. "All right. I guess we don't have any better ideas. I'll plot a course for Washu's space station and hope we don't get fired on for approaching. I've heard that's happened to a couple of ships that passed by too closely, so you never know."

Sasami laughed.

"That sounds like Washu." She said wryly. "But I still think she's smart enough to help us help Ayeka!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Eleven**

All was peaceful inside the big laboratory. In the midst of bright flashing lights and complicated wiring patterns, a single form sat huddled over a translucent black laptop, hitting keys at a tremendous rate as she struggled to work out the correct formula for the next stage of her project. Occasionally cries of "That's it!" or "Damn thing!" pierced the enforced silence of the room, but there was noone there to interrupt her thoughts, and this was how Washu liked it.

As she battled her way through a particularly tricky metaphysical problem, however, the peace and quiet of her world was shattered by the flare of her security sirens and she jolted out of her seat, gazing with annoyance up at the big screen that hung overhead.

"What is it now!" She exclaimed, reaching a long pale finger across her many control panels for a big red button marked 'fire'. "I've told people before...keep away from me when I'm working!"

Her finger overed above the button, ready to press it, when something about the approaching craft made her pause. She pulled a face, her heart sinking down into her boots as she recognised the bulky red hull of Yagami.

"Oh great." She muttered. "Visitors. Even in subspace, you're not safe from house calls!"

"Washu?"

A face, crackly and indistinct appeared on the screen, and Washu scowled up at the speaker, clenching her fists and waving them at the screen.

"Just when I'm in the middle of something important!" She exclaimed. "What is it now, Kiyone? Don't you know I left the Earth so I'd finally have some peace and quiet to work on my inventions? I've a lot of catching up to do, you know!"

"I know, Washu, and I'm sorry." Kiyone's features jumped again, and a blip ran across the screen, pausing just beneath her nose, then flickering out. "I realise we're imposing on you, but we need your help. There's noone else we know who has the skills to do it, and well, we're in something of a bind."

"You're chasing an evil space pirate who's kidnapped Ayeka, and you've annoyed the Galaxy Police by breaking Ryoko out of prison." Washu said matter of factly. "Right?"

"You know about that?"

"Well, hacking police scanners isn't exactly hard, and I have to listen to something while I eat my lunch!"

"I see." Kiyone paused for a moment, then, "I know it's a lot to ask of you, Washu, but we really need some kind of cloaking device for Yagami. It's far too obvious a ship to be trying to do covert tracking and well, it's well known to the Galaxy Police. We've not really got much of a chance of succeeding as things stand."

"I see." Washu sighed, leaning back in her chair as her laptop flickered and disappeared. "And if I say no?"

"Well, we're really hoping it won't come to that." Kiyone admitted. "We don't have a plan B."

Washu eyed the police officer long and hard for a moment.

"Well, I could knock up something for Yagami. It's not like it would be hard for someone like me to do." She said slowly. "In fact, I might already have something lying about that you could use. But that's not going to help you much if you're trying to track down Haki."

"You know about this guy?" Kiyone was taken aback. Washu nodded her head.

"Something about him." She agreed. "Or rather, about the ship he rides on. Karasu, isn't it?"

"I think so. Is there anything you can tell us?"

"Maybe." Washu sighed. "I'm not going to get rid of you easily, am I?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Not even if I blew you up?"

"We took the chance you wouldn't be feeling in an explosive mood." Kiyone's features wobbled again and her voice rattled out across the laboratory. Washu frowned, then leaned over a toe to kick the receiver.

"Damn interspace communications." She muttered, then, "All right. I suppose you'll have to come down here then, and I'll show you what I can. And see what I've got for Yagami while I'm at it. But really, you need better timing, Kiyone. You owe me one for this."

"Thank you, Washu." Relief tinged Kiyone's features. "If I release Yagami's walkway, can you connect it through subspace to your lab?"

"Can a bird fly? Just do it already." Washu was impatient. "I do have other things to worry about today, you know!"

----------------------------------

"I've been looking for you."

Ryoko glanced up from the food crate she was perched upon, her brows furrowing uncharacteristically as she took in Tenchi's anxious features. She sighed, shaking her head.

"I could teleport out into Deep Space. Would you chase me there as well?" She demanded, an edge to her tone.

"Maybe." Tenchi settled himself opposite her, glancing at his hands. "If I thought I could find a way out there. Why are you hiding from me, Ryoko? Why are you hiding from everybody? Kiyone's gone out across Yagami's walkway to talk to Washu - if you hadnt been so determined to shut yourself away somewhere, you could have teleported the jump in half the time, you know."

"I'm not hiding." Ryoko sighed. "I'm just..."

She paused, then shook her head.

"I do best when I'm on my own." She said at length. "Being around people...I'm not good at it. I never have been and you know what? I get a little sick of it. It's perfectly clear why you'll travel thousand of miles into space to rescue _her_ at a moment's notice. So she's got proper etiquette and simpers like a sissy...but if you want to know the truth, I'm getting fed up with being along on an Ayeka worshipping mission."

"Oh, Ryoko." Tenchi sighed, rolling his eyes heavenwards. "But isn't that why you're here too? To help Ayeka?"

"No, Tenchi. I'm here because I cut a deal with Kiyone." Ryoko said flatly. "She'd let me out if I helped her find Haki. Ryo Ohki knows his scent, and I'd know him anywhere. Plus, I've a few scores of my own to settle with that man. Believe me, I'm not here out of love for Ayeka."

She paused, then shot him a glance from beneath dropped lashes.

"It wasn't like you were coming to bust me out any time soon." She added quietly.

Tenchi was silent for a moment, digesting this. Ryoko ran her gaze over him, biting her lip as she did so. She stood.

"Maybe I _should_ teleport into Deep Space." She said quietly.

Tenchi shook his head.

"No." He said firmly. "This is crazy. You're being crazy. For a start, you know that I'm going to rescue Ayeka if I can. She's my friend, she's my family, she's important to me. I wouldn't let anything happen to her if I could prevent it. I've told you that before. You've helped me before. I thought you understood that. Sasami asked me for my help and I came. What else was I going to do?"

"And me?" There was a note of bitterness in Ryoko's voice. "Three Earth Years later and I've been forgotten? Do you think I'm such a fool as to be captured by the joke calling itself the Galaxy Police? When you consider that the original Galaxy Police never nailed me and that was with trained operatives and smart chiefs and all the top equipment! Not a chance. But Earth wasn't safe so long as I was on it."

"And exactly how was I supposed to follow you anyway?" Tenchi demanded. "I don't exactly have a spaceship hiding out in Grandfather's shrine, you know! Ryu-Oh's tree is rooted and...well, I don't know what planet you came from, but I would have thought that you'd know by now that Earthlings don't have access to space travel quite as easily as everyone else in the Galaxy seem to!"

"You're not an Earthling." Ryoko said flatly. "You're the Prince of Jurai. You could have found a way."

"I don't see how."

"You have to be so technical, don't you!"

"Ryoko, you surrendered to the Galaxy Police to protect Earth and to protect my home, my family and my friends. If I'd come after you to free you, even if I had known how, would you have been able to return to Earth? You know it's the first place they'd start looking for you." Tenchi pointed out reasonably. "You'd run straight back into a trap - and next time, someone might have been killed."

"That's my problem. I'm too soft sometimes." Ryoko's form flickered and disappeared from the top of the food crate, re-materialising beside him and making him jump. "You've done that to me, Tenchi Masaki. Before I came to your stupid planet I didn't bother about anyone. It was just me. Me and Ryo Ohki and lots and lots of stars. Nobody to bother me, nobody to give me hang ups and make me decide things I didn't want to do."

"This isn't like you, Ryoko." Tenchi looked confused. Ryoko groaned.

"How would you know what like me is?" She shot back, frustrated. "You haven't spoken to me in three years and when you do, it's always about Ayeka."

"But I'm not here now to talk about Ayeka. You brought her up." Tenchi said matter-of-factly. 

Ryoko opened her mouth to protest, then shut it again. She sighed.

"Maybe I did." She admitted. "But I'm fed up with it, Tenchi."

"Well, I'm sorry if you think I've been ignoring you." Tenchi offered. "You know you're important to me too, Ryoko. And if Sasami had turned up with a spaceship asking me to come help you, I would have done. Right away."

Ryoko turned her gaze away.

"Ayeka has people who'll do that for her." She said quietly. "Not me. And I'm not that important to you, Tenchi. Not in the way that matters."

There was a moment of silence between them, then Tenchi sighed.

"Will you tell me about Haki?" He asked at length. Ryoko started, then looked pensive.

"Not much to say." She said briskly. "He's a space pirate. He gets kicks out of raiding, looting and slitting throats on occasion. He'll probably kill that pretty little doll princess whether they find his stupid ransom or they don't...he's that way. He doesn't take prisoners. He makes victims. People don't see his face unless it's the last thing they're about to see. He keeps it covered and it's part of his skill at evading the Galaxy Police."

"Kamadake said that the Police thought him dead."

"So did I." Ryoko sounded bitter. "Guess that would be too much to ask for, huh?"

"So how do you know him? How is it _you've_ seen his face and yet didn't get killed?"

"That's a lot of questions, Tenchi." Ryoko said speculatively. "You've gotten inquisitive...or maybe your mind is on your princess again."

"Your mind is more on Ayeka than mine is right now!" Tenchi shot back, and Ryoko glared at him.

"You wanted to talk about Haki. Haki, Ayeka. The whole subject is the same thing as far as I'm concerned." She snapped. "It's still to do with him and his godforsaken obsession with the Dark Heart of Jurai."

Her hand flew to her mouth, as Tenchi stared at her, confused.

"The what?" He demanded. "What do you mean, the Dark Heart of Jurai? What's that? What has it to do with...with anything?"

Ryoko sighed.

"Ayeka's ransom." she said tiredly. "Three gemstones from Jurai, said to hold great power. They were all together once...but something happened. I don't know the details, I just know that they became lost. Maybe stolen. I don't know. They used to belong to Jurai's royal family. It was always said that only one with the Jurai Power could ever control and harness their magic...but I don't know if it's true. Either way they're powerful. Very powerful. Powerful and addictive once you begin to use them. A pirate like Haki might be able to control it...use that power to all kinds of destructive ends. He's strong too, you know, Tenchi. Stronger than me. Stronger than Ayeka. Perhaps stronger than you or your grandfather. I don't know."

"And the Dark Heart?"

"The most powerful of the three gemstones." Ryoko glanced at her fingernails. "The last person to possess it was Kagato...then it disappeared, when he did. It's strong, Tenchi. But dangerous. It's meant to drive anyone who uses it out of their wits if they aren't strong enough to handle it. And Haki wants it. He's always wanted it. He believes he's a match for the Dark Heart...and if he ever laid fingers to it, that'd probably be it for the universe as we know it. You know all about Jurai magic and what it can do. There isn't much that can stand up to it and the Juraians know it. Hell, the fact they're arrogant enough to store elements of it in random objects just proves that fact. If you ask me, it's a catastrophe waiting to happen."

"How do you know so much about a Jurai legend?" Tenchi stared at her. Ryoko curled her lip derisively.

"Haki liked to talk, and didn't require much of an audience." She said with a shrug. "Let's just say it was a legend I heard more than once."

"So you stayed with him."

"Dammit, Tenchi, are you going to insinuate that I was his lover too?" Ryoko reacted angrily to this. "You saw what I did to Mihoshi for that...do you want some too?"

"I wasn't asking that." Tenchi shook his head. "I'm just trying to work out how you knew him."

Ryoko flexed her fingers, and random jolts of electricity flickered from their tips. She pulled a face.

"My memories are fuzzy as to how it began." She said softly. "All I do know was that when I left...home, I left with him. He promised me open space and new worlds...an outlaw's life that I grew to love. But I could never really love it while he controlled me, Tenchi. He was my master, he shouted and I obeyed, else the punishment was harsh. I was too young and naive to begin with to realise that I could fight back - just a child really, when it began. Then there was the standoff with the Galaxy Police and his ship...I thought it was destroyed. That he was dead. Ryo Ohki and I escaped. We were free to go anywhere and see anything."

"So why continue being a pirate, if he forced you into it?"

"What else do I know how to be?" Ryoko demanded. "I told you, I grew to love that life. I still do. I still hate being at someone else's beck and call."

She glanced at him.

"Even yours." She added with a sigh. "Which is why I know you're going to choose Ayeka. I've always known that much, you know."

"Choose Ayeka?" Tenchi blinked. Then he groaned. "Ryoko, why is it always about choosing with you two? I care about both of you, all right? Both of you are important to me! How many times must I say that?"

Ryoko did not reply, and Tenchi sighed.

"Obviously that's not something we're going to be able to discuss sensibly tonight, is it?" He asked, resigned. Ryoko shook her head.

"No." Her voice was barely audible above the sound of the spaceship engine. "Not tonight."

Tenchi got to his feet. He moved to leave, then paused, reaching over to touch Ryoko's fingers.

"If it means anything, Ryoko, I hated you being locked up as much as you did." he said gently. "Life on Earth is pretty dull without you blowing things up."

Then he was gone, and Ryoko bit her lip, fighting to control her emotions.

Slowly she lifted her wrist, rolling back the sleeve of her suit and running a finger over the smooth, shiny surface that had embedded itself deep into her skin. As she touched it, it shimmered and glowed a faint red, then faded back to darkness and she sighed, gazing at it for a moment.

"And if you knew I had two of the gems Haki wants, and that it was me who took them from his ship, not the Galaxy Police, you'd think differently." She murmured. "I don't even know why I took them...or why I've been hiding them all this time. It just seems right to have them now...to use them, if need be, against Haki. And if they drive me nuts, well, it can't be any worse than this delusion I already live in. I'm ready for whatever it takes. Haki and I have old scores to settle and we will settle them - whatever happens to Ayeka!"

She slid a slender finger alongside the gem, absently trying to pry it from it's resting place, but it clung firmly to her skin and eventually she stopped, pulling the sleeve up to cover the stone once more. Though she knew she had chosen to take them from their hiding place, she felt a slight chill whip through her at the thought of using them. They had bonded with her now, but could she use them in battle? And if she could...

"If I can, what will happen to me?" She whispered. "To me, to Tenchi...to everyone?"

---------------------------

"So this is your secret lab."

Kiyone followed Washu along a narrow virtual walkway, pausing to gaze up at the multitude of screens that flickered up and down the walls. "It's impressive, Washu. How long did it take you to put together? It looks like you've done nothing but build since you left the Earth."

"Trivial work, really." Washu shrugged. "Not long. Now, what I've been working on..." She trailed off, putting a finger to her lips. "But that's a top secret at the moment, Kiyone-san! So you'll just have to wait and find out like the rest of the known universe, won't you?"

"I think that I'd probably rather not know much about it." Kiyone admitted. "You were going to tell me something about Haki's ship, I think?"

"Oh, yes." Washu nodded, sitting down at her main computer and indicating for Kiyone to follow suit. "Don't touch anything...this unit is a touch temperamental and it doesn't like strangers."

"A bit like it's creator." Kiyone thought, as Washu keyed in a long password, sitting back and waiting for the monitor to flare into life. As it did so, the image of a ship became visible, turning slowly so that Kiyone could see it from all angles. She pursed her lips.

"Is that it? Karasu?"

"Or a reasonable facsimile." Washu stretched out her hands, placing them behind her head as she shot the officer a sidelong look. "It's a Phoenix ship, Kiyone. Know what that is?"

"No, I'm sorry. I'm afraid I have no idea."

"Well, you know what a phoenix is, right?" Washu raised an eyebrow. "Bird that dies, rises from the ashes, etcetera?"

"Yes." Kiyone nodded, "But...oh! Are you telling me that...?"

"That's what this ship is designed to do, yes." Washu nodded grimly. "I knew the man who designed it, once. It was hailed as a brilliant invention, but only six were ever put into production. The line was cancelled before they ever saw commercial release, and all of them were destroyed before they could be properly powered up and activated in their full form. All of them except one ship."

"Karasu."

"Yes." Washu agreed. "That ship was stolen from Science Academy labs long before they thought about sticking me in a capsule and firing me across the galaxy, I'll tell you."

"So it was Haki who took it?"

"Noone else could have." Washu shrugged her shoulders. "See, the trouble with the ship was that there was a flaw in the resurrect system. It rebuilt itself, yes, but it also bonded too closely with the person who owned and guided it. If that bond was pushed to it's limits, the two would become inseperable as beings. Basically joined at the mind."

"I don't understand." Kiyone frowned. "Ryoko and Ryo Ohki have that kind of a bond, don't they?"

"Yes, and no." Washu shook her head. "Ryo Ohki's technology is far superior in many ways...she and Ryoko are telepathically connected, but they have individual life forces and their own free will. The same can't be true of the Phoenix ships. Furthermore, these crafts not only resurrect themselves when they die, but their master as well. And with each resurrection, the bond between the two becomes more and more unstable...as does their combined sanity. The lab tests indicated that there would be an increase in power when the two became one...but at the cost of mental well being. To put it bluntly, Haki was already a pretty shady character when he stole Karasu. Now he's had the ship as long as he has, well, chances are he's a full blown nutjob. Power is addictive, you see, and Haki is probably a good case of it. That's how he survived your Galaxy Police blast, though. Karasu's life force brought him back as well."

"Then why has it taken so long for him to start to prowl the universe again?"

"Resurrection takes time, Kiyone. Especially considering Karasu was a prototype for a style of ship that lost favour very quickly." Washu shrugged her shoulders. "Like I said, the design was flawed."

"I see." Kiyone pursed her lips. "So is there any way to beat Haki? Any way to subdue or destroy him?"

"Well, so long as he is bonded to Karasu, killing him would only bring him back in greater strength." Washu said thoughtfully. "So I'd be saving Yagami's cannons if you do meet him. You'll need to find some other way of bringing him down, Kiyone. That's all I can tell you."

She reached into the pocket of her gown, pulling out a small black object and holding it out.

"Oh, and this will do for Yagami." She added. "Attach it to the main thruster and it will draw it's power from that. It'll project a holographic cloak over the ship and scramble it's ident, so other ships can't track it quite so easily. I knew I had something round here that would do for that."

"Thank you." Kiyone took the device, carefully sliding it into her pocket. "I appreciate this a whole lot, Washu...I really do."

"Did Haki tell you what he wanted for Ayeka, by the way?"

"You didn't hear that bit?" Kiyone asked. Washu shook her head.

"Exploded the radio by trying to mesh interdimensional communications again." She said with a grimace. "I only got the first half of the report."

"Three Juraian gemstones...though whether they even exist is beyond me." Kiyone sighed. "Haki believes they do, though. He's demanding that Jurai hand them over if they want to see Ayeka alive again."

Washu's features underwent a transformation, and a strange look entered her green eyes.

"They exist." She said quietly. "I presume you are talking about the jewels from the Tsunami-sama legend?"

"Since I have no idea what you're talking about, I'm going to take a wild guess and say yes?" Kiyone looked blank. "What legend?"

Washu sighed.

"Noone educates you people these days." She said in resignation, shaking her head slowly. "Three crystals spat up in a volcanic eruption, in the Old Era of Planet Jurai. Some say they were put there by demons, others that they were from the Tree of Life Tsunami. In those days she was thought to be an actual human spirit living in the roots of the tree, connected directly to the heart of the planet. It's all based in science really, you see...the core of Jurai is a solid crystalline ore and it's that which enables the trees that grow there to live so long as they do. Ancient peoples derived mystical values from it, and so these gemstones became pretty significant pieces. Of course, noone ever proved they had any magical powers. They were supposed to be damn pretty though."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"So I'm a sucker for pretty gems. Sue me."

"I should ask Sasami about that legend. Maybe she's heard more about it." Kiyone decided. "So did they come from the core of the planet, or...?"

"Seems the only explanation to me, although I admit a lot of Jurai's elemental happenings seem beyond scientific explanation at times." Washu replied simply. She paused, narrowing her gaze.

"You have no lead on those crystals?"

"Even if we had, giving them over to a mad space pirate is not an option."

"Depends on the space pirate." Washu muttered, and Kiyone shot her an odd look.

"Pardon me?"

"I think that I'm going to come aboard Yagami with you." Washu stood, stretching and offering Kiyone a disarming smile. "Even a genius can do with a holiday now and again, isn't that right?"

"Well, of course, but...there's not much lab space on the ship." Kiyone looked taken aback. "Not that you're not welcome - you should know by now you more than are and any help you can give us is help worth having. I just don't want to interrupt your work with our crisis."

"You seem to have already done that." Washu arched an eyebrow, then shrugged. "And I've decided now, so we'd better go before there's another space tear and I have to peel you off the walls of this place before I can send you back to your ship."

Kiyone glanced around her fearfully.

"All right. Let's go then." She agreed hastily. "Whatever a space tear is, I think I can live without experiencing one."

"Good choice." Washu's eyes twinkled with amusement, then, "Hey, is Tenchi aboard this little rescue mission?"

"Yes, he is." Kiyone was surprised. "How did you know that?"

"I had a hunch he would be." Washu grinned. "Acts before he thinks sometimes, that one."

"You could be describing a lot of people I know these days." Kiyone sighed. "Though I was the one who broke Ryoko out, so I guess I'm just as bad."

"No, it was the only thing you could do, if you ask me." Washu led the way towards Yagami's walkway, a slight shadow touching her eyes for the briefest of instants. Then it was gone, leaving Kiyone wondering if it had been entirely imagined. The scientist flashed her companion another wide smile, then stepped onto the walkway.

"It'll be good to see everyone again." She mused. "Even if it is a lot of bother and all."

Kiyone chose not to respond, merely following the diminuitive figure along the length of the walkway and back into the cargo bay of Yagami. Mihoshi was waiting there, she soon discovered, and as she saw to the reeling in of the long tubeway, her partner jumped up and down, clasping her hands together in excitement.

"Kiyone! And Washu, it's so good to see you!"

"Hi, Mihoshi. Still absent in the brain department, I see." Washu's tone knocked all of the criticism out of her words, and Mihoshi beamed.

"I didn't know you were coming aboard too. It's just like old times now, except for Ayeka not being here." She remarked.

"Are you down here for a reason, Mihoshi, or are you just following me around?" Kiyone asked wearily. Mihoshi's mouth became an 'o' and she clapped her hand to her head.

"Sorry Kiyone! I came to tell you as soon as you came back up." She said contritely. "Ryo Ohki has picked up Karasu's vapour trail and Ryoko thinks that she knows where he's gone. She seems to be familiar with this space quadrant...I said I'd tell you and we'd plot a course there as soon as you came back."

"Finally! Good news at last!" Kiyone's heart lifted. "Maybe now we can find out if the Princess Ayeka is all right!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Twelve**

"I really don't like this place."

Tenchi suppressed a shudder, pausing to glance up at the entrance lighting as they stood outside one of the seediest and most notorious pit stop bars in the whole of the universe. Ryoko cast him a look, then rolled her eyes skywards.

"Listen, I thought you said you wanted to be in on this little jaunt." She said quietly. "Tenchi, Haki is here. Ryo Ohki picked up his vapour trail and this was always one of his favourite haunts. Don't get cold feet now, will you? It's not like I'm going to let you get killed or anything, and besides, you're not exactly helpless yourself. You know how to hold your own in a fight, so don't lose your nerve now!"

"I know. I just don't like the look of this joint, that's all."

"That's the whole point in coming here, though, Tenchi." Ryoko pursed her lips. "Most people don't like the look of it...so police and other officials tend to stay away. If they knew that Yagami was docked here..."

She let her sentence hang, and her meaning was all too clear. Tenchi suppressed another shiver, shaking his head.

"Are you sure we should go all out looking for him?" He asked, as his companion pushed open the door, sauntering nonchalantly into the building. Reluctantly he followed suit, inwardly wishing he hadn't volunteered to come with her. But it had been a chance to speak to her alone, he had reasoned, and either way, it might give him some clue as to what was happening to Ayeka. A glance at the interior of the place soon told him his first hope would be fruitless, however - this was not the kind of place to encourage private conversations in corners.

"I don't know." Ryoko hesitated before she answered. "But it's the only shot we have, really. We can't get aboard Karasu, you know. If Washu is right about his ship - and everything I remember about it suggests she is - Haki would know we were there the second we touched the door. The only way to find out what's going on is to speak to him face to face. And I'm the only one who he might believe is on the level with him - since we've been cohorts before. Now pipe down, and act like a pirate apprentice or something, will you?"

"Apprentice?" Tenchi stared. Ryoko shrugged.

"Well, you can be my lover instead, if you like." She suggested, and there was an edge to her tone that he didn't like. Judging it wisest not to answer, he turned his attention to the surrounding bar area, taking in the gathered customers and the thick cloud of smoke laced with heavy alcohol that drifted lazily around the room. Nobody had taken much notice at their entrance, each bent on their own pursuits, but Ryoko scanned the crowd very cautiously before venturing up to the bar. After a moment of hesitation, Tenchi followed her.

"This is also a haunt for bounty hunters." The pirate explained, as she dropped herself down onto a bar stool, indicating for him to do so also. "And considering how complicated everything already is, I'd rather not have an encounter with Nagi."

"I can see your point." Tenchi's mind flitted back to his brief encounters with Ryoko's enigmatic arch rival and her unique code of honour. "But I don't see her."

"Me either, so that's a good start." Ryoko drummed her fingers on the bar top absently. "But I don't see Haki either, which is less good. Karasu is here...at least, I hope we didn't just miss him."

She banged a fist down on the bar, making Tenchi jump.

"Hey, do we get served in this joint or what?" She exclaimed, flickering lightning from her fingers as she glared at the bartender. "What's taking you so long? Don't you know it's not polite to keep a lady waiting?"

"_Ryoko_?" The bartender stared at her as if he could not believe his eyes for a moment, then he laughed, reaching across to grab her by the hand. He shook it firmly, not at all intimidated by her show of anger moments before.

"I knew you couldn't be locked up for long...they all said that you'd have dug your way out before the Galaxy Police fools drew breath and it's true, here you are." He said jovially. "Usual, is it? And your friend?"

"Usual." Ryoko nodded her head tersely. "And same for my apprentice. He's got to learn sometime."

She flexed her fingers thoughtfully.

"And I've been about. Don't believe everything you read." She added. "I'm not exactly the cell squatting type, if you follow my drift."

"Word was out that you'd gone soft and settled with some guy down on a remote planet in nowheresville or something." The bartender seemed to know Ryoko's order by heart, for despite the number of complicated steps that seemed to go into mixing the drink, he did not falter in his conversation. "Didn't believe a word of it. Not you, Ryoko."

"Glad you realise it." Ryoko scooped up the drink, dropping a handful of unfamiliar coins down onto the bar top and taking a sip. "And you still make it the exact same way. You're good, Jiro."

She banged her empty glass down on the bar with a thump, flicking her finger towards it, and the bartender nodded his head. Ryoko cast Tenchi a glance, then nudged him hard with her elbow.

"Drink." She told him. 

"But..."

"Shut up and do as you're told." Ryoko held up her hand. "Go on. It won't kill you."

Tenchi eyed her doubtfully, but lifted the glass to his lips, taking a sip of the brew. It was strong and strangely sour, and the smell of alcohol almost choked him as he did his best not to spit it back out. Potent, he decided, and not something he should really consume too much of if he wanted a clear head to find Ayeka. Not that that seemed to be bothering his companion, he realised, as she tossed more coin onto the bar, sipping from her third drink already.

This one she seemed to be taking more slowly though, he decided to his relief, as she leant across the bar, resting her chin in her hands.

"I wanted to ask you something." She said slowly.

"Questions?" Jiro looked surprised. "You don't usually come in with those, Ryoko. What's doing?"

"Well, I heard a rumour that Haki was back among the living." Ryoko moulded her features into the most conniving smile Tenchi had ever seen. "And I was curious to know if the rumour is true."

"You know I wouldn't want to be getting involved in something, Ryoko-san."

"No, I know." Ryoko held her hands out to him, palms up in what was obviously a conciliatory gesture. "But you know me, Jiro. And you know that Haki and I flew together for a long time. I thought he died, and now I discover my old raiding partner is still going strong? Of course I want to track him down. Those were good times, you know. Good hauls. Why wouldn't I want to speak to him again?"

"You know Haki, Ryoko. He's not one who likes to be found. He prefers to do the finding, if you know what I mean."

Ryoko stirred a finger absently in her drink, lifting it to her lips and licking the strong amber liquid off the tip. There was something almost sensual in her action, Tenchi thought, and then he squashed the observation thoroughly, embarrassed that his thoughts should go so astray from the matter at hand. He glanced down at his own drink, noticing for the first time that it's vivid hue matched the liquid gold of Ryoko's eyes. Inwardly he cursed himself for having taken a sip of the potent brew. Obviously that was more than enough to send his brain slightly addled.

He sent his companion a sidelong glance at this point, realising with a jolt that she had been flirting with the bartender. It was not the obvious, blatant teasing that she often treated him to, but something else...a side of Ryoko he had not yet seen. Absently he wondered what kind of a life she had led with Haki, and how often her femeninity had got her out of scrapes in the past.

At length, Jiro seemed to weaken under the intense gaze in those amber-gold eyes. He sighed.

"He was here earlier, but I don't know if he still is." He said reluctantly. "But it wasn't me who told you, Ryoko-san. You know how that goes."

"I never even mentioned it to you." Ryoko rewarded the man with a dazzling smile. "And I owe you one. Thank you, Jiro. Maybe there's a bonus in it from the next raid, if you play your cards right."

She winked at him, then grabbed Tenchi by the arm, pulling him away from the bar and across to the other side of the room. A few other drinkers hailed Ryoko as she passed, some with pleasure and others with jibes, and she greeted each of them appropriately, using language at times that almost made Tenchi wince. As she caught his expression, a faint blush touched her cheeks and she looked embarrassed.

"Okay, so it's a rough crowd." She said sheepishly. "You know how it is."

"Sometimes you scare me." Tenchi admitted. "Is this how you are when you're being a pirate, Ryoko?"

"It depends on the mood I'm in." Ryoko shrugged her shoulders. She glanced at him, then she shook her head. "Oh, what do you think, Tenchi? I hate these places. Only time I come here is if I'm meeting someone or wanting a drink in braindead company. Most of the time it's me, Ryo Ohki and the galaxy. That's it. I told you. I don't like being around swarms of people. But if you can manipulate those people to get what you want..."

She grinned.

"That can be fun."

"I see." Tenchi pursed his lips. "And when you're on Earth? Do you do that then, too?"

"Sometimes." Ryoko's expression closed up somewhat at this, and Tenchi regretted the question. For a moment, it had almost seemed like she had forgiven him for whatever it was that had made her act so strangely toward him since his arrival on Yagami. And then, with a few short words, he had re-opened the gulf as wide as it was before. He sighed, glancing at his feet. It was going to be a long evening.

"So we should probably scout around, see what we can see." Ryoko's voice broke through his thoughts, and he looked up, nodding his head.

"Yes, I guess so." He agreed. "Although I don't know the man we're looking for."

"I think you would if you saw him." Ryoko bit her lip. "Scary blue eyes, long hair. Cloth across his face from nose to chin. Yes, I don't think you'd miss him easily, even in this crowd."

"Well, if it isn't the little Ryoko."

A smooth voice interrupted their discussion and Tenchi turned, catching sight of the speaker and his heart caught in his throat as he took in the newcomer's appearance. From Ryoko's casual description, there was only one person that this could be. The man was tall - at least a head taller than he was, with a thick tail of dark hair tied loosely over his back. He was dressed casually, but in a style Tenchi had never seen before, and his face was shrouded by a black cloth, revealing only a pair of piercing ice blue eyes. He looked them both up and down slowly, then his gaze turned back to Ryoko.

"I have to say I'm surprised to see you." He said softly. "I thought we ended our acquaintance some galaxies ago, when you left me for dead in the Galaxy Police wreckage."

"I thought you _were_ dead, and good riddance to you too." Ryoko spoke coldly. "I'm not little Ryoko any more, Haki. I'm powerful in my own right, you know. Very powerful, now. You don't want to upset me."

"Bravado was always your favourite trick, Ryoko-chan." There was an unpleasant leer in the man's eyes and despite himself, Tenchi had to fight back the urge to defend his companion. She had told him to keep a low profile, but it was easier said than done. Ryoko seemed unperturbed by his gaze though, merely laughing at his response.

"Bravado, is it?" She said thoughtfully. "Very well. Maybe I came here to fight you, Haki. To find out just who is the most powerful space pirate in the galaxy, after all. Your time is long over, old man. I'm the one they all tell stories about now. Notorious across the galaxy, that's Ryoko. Things have changed a whole lot since we last spoke."

"Ah, I'm sure they have." Haki's gaze drifted to Tenchi, a scrutinous look in his eyes. "I taught you well, after all. And this one? A friend for you, Ryoko?"

He reached out a sallow white finger to nudge Tenchi's shoulder, but Ryoko put her hand up between them.

"You don't touch my apprentice." She said warningly. "He doesn't need help from the likes of you."

Haki seemed amused by this, folding his arms across his chest as he let out a deep throated chuckle.

"You always amuse me, Ryoko." He said at length. "But why are you really here? Did you come to seek me out? I was under the impression you were entertaining the Galaxy Police these days. Am I mistaken?"

"Few cells can hold Ryoko." Tenchi swallowed hard as he heard the swagger enter his friend's tones, remembering the alcohol she had already consumed. Casting her a glance, he worried that she was taking things too far. "No, Haki. You heard wrong. And as for why I'm here? I heard that you were alive. I had to see it for myself...I saw Karasu engulfed in flame. I needed to know either way whether the rumours were true."

"Why?"

Haki's bony finger touched Ryoko's cheek, and despite her bravado, she flinched away from his touch. Tenchi reached out a hand to grab hers reassuringly, then stopped himself. Pirates, he was sure, did not hold hands in public places with their apprentices. Instead he turned his head, glancing around him. Where the bar had been busy, there was now a healthy space between them and the rest of the clientele. Nobody would meet his eye, and he realised that, should anything happen to them at Haki's hands, there would be few willing to come forward as witness.

For the first time he began to realise the true power of this man - the power of incredible fear over those around him.

"Are you afraid of a little competition?" Haki was speaking again, and this time it was Ryoko's laugh that brought Tenchi's attention back to the conversation at hand.

"You'd like that, I suppose." She said contemplatively. "No, not really. There's plenty of space for everyone, and all of that. No, something else caught my attention, Haki. Something interesting. They say you have the Princess of Jurai prisoner aboard Karasu. That you're holding her for ransom and that your asking price is the three Juraian gemstones you were so keen on tracking down all those years ago. Is the rumour true?"

"Why would that information matter to you?" Haki countered. "You've already made it clear that you're no longer my apprentice, Ryoko. What benefit could it be to either of us for me to divulge such information?"

"You could call it friendly interest."

"I don't believe there's any such thing among pirates." Haki shook his head. "No. You have another reason, Ryoko. You were always so bad at lying to me...enough games. I will have the truth from you, as I have done before."

He grabbed her around the wrists, holding her firmly. "Now tell me. What is your interest in the Dark Heart of Jurai and the Princess Ayeka?"

"Let me go!" Ryoko's fingertips crackled with electric energy, and Haki laughed, shaking his head.

"Your magic never really worked on me, did it?" He asked conversationally. "You were always such a runt, Ryoko. Is that the best you can do?"

"I'll show you what I can do." Ryoko snapped back, and a flare of energy shot from her hands, sending up a light wave between her and the pirate. Despite himself Haki stepped back. Tongues of reddish fire licked around the edges of the girl's familiar orange sabre, forcing him to loose his grip on her and fall backwards, only just managing to keep his balance. As quickly as the light had come, it was gone, and Ryoko folded her hands across her chest.

"I told you I wasn't little Ryoko now." She said, in tones like Tenchi had never heard before. "When will you believe me?"

"That wasn't your magic." Haki's eyes narrowed to near slits, and to Tenchi they almost seemed to leap with fire themselves. "What have you done to yourself, Ryoko? What have you turned yourself into, just to win a battle of words with an old space pirate?"

Ryoko did not speak. Instead she held out her wrists to him, her heavy sleeves falling back as she did so. Despite himself, Tenchi gasped as he saw the small pinkish red discs glinting in the bar's dim light. 

Haki's expression became one of surprise, then comprehension.

"I see. And all this time I thought it was the Galaxy Police who raided Karasu and who took the gemstones from me. But it was you, Ryoko. You all the time."

"Well, you were stupid not to assume that." Ryoko said glibly, dropping her hands so the sleeves covered the gems once more. "After all, I am a pirate, Haki."

"You've made a dangerous mistake, Ryoko." Haki's voice took on an edge. "You're not powerful enough to control those gems, not in a proper fight. I have spent far too long looking for them and I won't give them up so easily. Give them to me and I will let you live...else I will kill you and your boy here both. You know I speak the truth...give them to me."

"I have a better idea." Ryoko shook her head. She shot Tenchi a look, then, "This sparring is fun, but I didn't really come here to fight with you at all."

"Then why did you? Answer me that."

"I have something you want." Ryoko said quietly. "We both know that you can't touch these gems. Without the Dark Heart of Jurai, you can't access their magic or use them. Maybe even then you won't be able to. But I can. Why is that, do you suppose?"

Haki's eyes became stony, and he did not reply. Ryoko pursed her lips.

"That's why you took me on in the first place, isn't it?" She said, her tones dangerously low. "You knew that I would be able to touch them and you always planned to use me to find the Dark Heart. I don't know how you knew it, but you did...didn't you?"

"Perhaps I did." Haki spread his hands. "Perhaps you would have been useful to me, once."

"What if I wanted to find the Dark Heart of Jurai myself?" Ryoko asked slowly. "What if I was to offer you a partnership - a share in the power these gemstones possess? I can touch them. I can access their power in limited bursts, but with our combined strength the location of the Dark Heart might be revealed to us. We were a team once. Why not again?"

"Ah." Haki was silent for a moment, and Tenchi shot Ryoko a look of surprise. Ryoko met it with a glare that meant, 'shut up', and he bit his lip, obediently remaining silent. Inwardly, though, his mind was whirling. What were the stakes now, he wondered? What was Ryoko trying to do...and how much of what she was saying was the truth?

"Well?" Ryoko pressed, after the silence threatened to go on too long. "Have you lost your taste for bargaining, Haki?"

"Tell me your terms, Space Pirate Ryoko." Haki replied quietly. "What do you really want, in exchange for your life aboard my ship?"

Ryoko was silent for a moment. Then,

"Ayeka."

"The Princess Ayeka?" Haki stared. "What is your interest in her?"

"No interest whatsoever." Ryoko's tones became hard and cold. "In fact, quite the opposite. She and I have crossed paths and swords on more than one occasion. If you want me and the gems aboard Karasu, then you must release Ayeka. I won't travel on a ship anywhere near that woman. It's her or me, Haki. I won't be a part of it."

"I see." Haki's eyes became thoughtful. "And if I killed her instead?"

"You could do that." Ryoko inclined her head in a slight nod. "But then the Galaxy Police and the authorities of Jurai would be after you till the end of time. It's a gamble I don't want a part of. Who knows? Maybe I could find the Dark Heart on my own. It might be safer than being perpetually hunted down for a Princess's murder."

She met his gaze, her golden eyes lacking in all of their usual vivacity.

"Forgive me for not wanting to attend a Juraian execution any time soon." She added.

Haki was silent for a moment, digesting this.

"Your boy?" He asked at length. Ryoko shrugged.

"What of him?" She asked flippantly. "Let him take the prissy Princess back to her planet. Let him tell them to beware what we can do. Ayeka is less useful to you now than I am. You're a smart man, Haki. I have what you want. The decision is yours."

"Very well." Haki nodded his head. "Stay here, Ryoko. I will return."

Once the pirate was out of earshot, Tenchi shot Ryoko an accusing glance.

"What was all that about?" He demanded. "You had those gems all along, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me?"

"And what would you have done, if you had known?" Ryoko demanded. "Made me give them up? Give them to you? No, Tenchi. You don't know what you're playing with."

"And you do?"

"As well as I need to."

"You told me that their power was addictive. That once you started meddling, you couldn't let them go." Tenchi hissed. "What have you done to yourself, Ryoko?"

"Nothing." Ryoko let out a hollow laugh. "I understand what's going on here far better than you do, so you'd be better off piping down. You got what you wanted after all, didn't you? Ayeka's freedom."

"If he keeps his word."

"He will." Ryoko nodded. "He wants the gems more than he wants her aboard his ship. I guarantee it, Tenchi. He will release Ayeka and you can take her away from here and back to Yagami." 

She cocked her head on one side, eying him thoughtfully.

"That is why you came all the way across the galaxy, isn't it? To rescue Ayeka?"

"Well yes, but..."

"But what, Tenchi?" Ryoko interrupted. "I'm giving you what you wanted. Your princess, sealed and delivered, unharmed."

"But what about you?" Tenchi exclaimed. "He pretty much said that it would be your life, aboard Karasu. That the gems are too powerful - Ryoko, this could kill you!"

"Does it matter if it did?" Ryoko asked softly.

"What kind of a question is that?" Tenchi demanded. "Of course it matters!"

"Like it mattered when I was locked up and alone in a Galaxy Police cell?"

"Ryoko!"

"Same thing as far as I can see." Ryoko shrugged her shoulders. "Don't worry about me, Tenchi. I can take care of myself and I know Haki. I can handle him and he can't harm me so long as I have the gems. He might be strong, but their magic is stronger."

"And what if it does kill you? What then?"

"Then there'll be one empty cell back at Galaxy Police Headquarters." Ryoko smiled humourlessly. "Shut up already, will you? He'll be back soon and you're meant to be my apprentice. People are beginning to stare, and if he suspects anything, then he won't release Ayeka. Just keep your mouth shut and do as you're told, all right? We came here to find Ayeka and that's what we've done. Anything else, well, you don't need to worry about. I know what I'm up against and I know what I'm doing."

"That's a matter of opinion." Tenchi said darkly. "You hate him. You told me that."

"Yes, I do." Ryoko nodded. "But I also understand him. And who knows? Maybe it's a case of birds of a feather."

She shrugged. "You're a Juraian prince. Ayeka is a Juraian princess. Me, I'm a pirate and so is Haki. Maybe this is the way it's meant to be anyway."

"Ryoko..."

"Shut up. He's coming back."

Tenchi sighed, but fell silent, as the pirate approached them once more. Behind him he dragged Ayeka, bound and chained and struggling with every step. She was dirty and her thick silken hair was tangled and ungroomed, but Tenchi still felt a pang of relief at seeing her unharmed. Then his gaze flitted to Ryoko, taking in the determination on her face. The relief faded in an instant. What exactly had Ryoko bartered for Ayeka's life? And how much of a hold did the gems have on his wild and unpredictable friend?


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Are you feeling better now, Ayeka?"

Ayeka pulled the thick blanket more tightly around her, taking a sip of the hot tea her sister had just pressed into her hands. Anxious and relieved at the same time, Sasami had been flitting around her like a small bird ever since she and Tenchi had boarded the Yagami, but somehow Ayeka found the young girl's attention comforting. She sighed, setting her mug down.

"Thank you, Sasami, I believe I am." She agreed. "Although I'm sorry that so many people have been to so much trouble over me. I'm quite unhurt."

"Well, that's a good thing at least." Tenchi sat down opposite, though Ayeka could see the concern shadowing his features and her heart clenched in her throat. She offered him a smile.

"I'm touched that you flew so far to help me, Lord Tenchi." She said softly. "I appreciate the gesture."

"What else would I do?" Tenchi asked simply. "You needed help."

He sighed.

"In the end I didn't do a whole lot." He admitted, glancing at his hand. "I don't like that he took Ryoko with him. Even though it was her idea, I still...I don't like it, Ayeka. I think he might hurt her."

"Do you think he would?" Sasami sounded alarmed, and Ayeka sat back against the hard seat, pursing her lips.

"Tell me again what she said to you, when she made the trade on that horrible excuse for a space station." She said slowly. "Didn't you say that she told you she was a pirate and that maybe she was better off with Haki? Seems to me pretty clear that Ryoko knows what she was doing. She got her way out of prison and now she's free to team up with her old associate again. I don't know why you're so worried about her."

"Because she's been strange recently. Not like herself...not like the Ryoko I remember, anyway." Tenchi admitted. "And now I know she's had two of those gems all along..."

"What?" Sasami's eyes almost fell out of her head. "The gemstones that Haki wanted for Ayeka? Those gemstones?"

"Yes, those gemstones." Tenchi nodded grimly. "I saw them for myself, and so did Haki. That's why he took her aboard, Sasami. Not for her, but for the gems. From the way he said it, it sounded like she was going to be used in some experiment or other of his...I didn't like how he phrased it."

Ayeka sighed.

"Tenchi, you said yourself that Ryoko hasn't been behaving normally." She said pragmatically, fighting to keep the hurt that bubbled up inside her out of her voice. "I don't know much about these gems, but I do know that Jurai magic can do horrible things to people who aren't capable of controlling it. Ryoko's not Juraian, so how would she even begin to know what to do with them?"

"That's what worries me." Tenchi admitted. "When she told me about them, she told me that they were dangerous and even addictive. I guess I don't know what they'll do to her. Could they even kill her?"

Ayeka was silent for a moment, digesting this. Then, at length, she spoke.

"When you fought Kagato to save my life, you saw an example of what tainted Jurai magic could do and what that power could turn someone into." She said quietly. "And Kagato was at least a member of the royal line, even if his claims to the throne were somewhat exaggerated. Ryoko is just a common space pirate with a lust for more than is her right. If she's taken them to use them, well, more fool her, I'm afraid. You shouldn't regret her silly choices. At the end of the day, she is a thief and a fraudster by trade. We all know this - why else do we see her wanted posters on every wall of every settlement in the known universe? If the power corrupts her, well, it's no more than what she's asked for."

"I don't want to see her hurt any more than I did you, Ayeka." Tenchi scolded. "And if the gems have been behind her strange behaviour lately, then it makes me even more worried about her. Plus, what these gems can do is supposed to be pretty terrifying. Even if you are right and Ryoko has made this choice based on greed, it could still spell a lot of bad stuff for the rest of the universe. And I know that Earth is tucked away in the middle of nowhere, but I like my planet and I'd rather it wasn't sent into a zillion pieces by some gigantic explosion somewhere else."

"That makes sense." Sasami sighed, resting her chin in her hands. "I don't like it at all, Ayeka. Ryoko might be in trouble now instead of you."

Ayeka dropped her gaze.

"I honestly can't understand your concern for that girl." She owned. "I can't think of a single thing she's done to make either of you feel that way."

"Ayeka, that isn't very nice!" Sasami's eyes became big, and Ayeka frowned.

"Maybe, but it's the truth." She responded. "I'm sorry, Sasami. I can't pretend to like her."

"Well, nobody is asking you to do that." Tenchi chewed on his lip. "But either way, I'm not happy leaving things the way they are. Haki has bad things planned for Ryoko, you know. Really bad things, if you ask me. And well, I don't want him to do them to her...whatever they are."

"And if she has those gems and they are dangerous, we need to stop him from getting them from her." Sasami added. "Else we might all be in bigger trouble still. And I'm getting bored of being in trouble now, you know what I mean? It's getting old."

"What confuses me is why Ryoko even had the stones in the first place." Ayeka owned. "I know she stole them from Haki, but really, she shouldn't be able to touch them. Someone with her meagre magical abilities...they should ward her off them like the plague. Juraian magic is like that, you see. It doesn't allow anyone who isn't capable to touch it."

Tenchi was silent for a moment, then he met her gaze and the look in his eyes almost broke her heart.

"Then Ryoko must be capable." He said quietly. "In which case, she might be in even more danger than I thought before."

-----------------------------------------

"All right. That's far enough."

Haki stepped back from Karasu's controls, and Ryoko pursed her lips, crossing her legs idly beneath her as she perched on one of the big steel girders that spread from left to right of the ship's drive room. He turned to her, and she raised an eyebrow, a challenge in her gaze.

"Well?" She demanded. "What is it now?"

"Do you think I'm a complete fool, Ryoko?" Haki spoke in low tones. "Do you really think I'm here to play games with you?"

"Games?" Ryoko's image blurred as she re-materialised on the floor opposite him, folding her arms across her chest. "That would be a change for you, wouldn't it, Haki? You've come over all serious since you died. You need to lighten up, you know - people are going to think you lost your spark. Lost your...ambition."

Haki bristled, reaching out a hand to grab her but a shower of sparks burst from the gems, burning his skin and causing him to cry out in pain. Ryoko let out an amused chuckle, shaking her head.

"Bad boy." She taunted. "Can't you touch me? What a shame. Pretty difficult to kill someone if you can't touch them, isn't it, Haki?"

"I wouldn't be so cocky." Haki said grimly. "I don't have to touch you if I want to kill you, Ryoko. All I have to do is implode Karasu. My ship regenerates, and rebuilds me with it. It won't be the same for you. You'd just be drifting space dust -so I'd watch your lip."

Ryoko's golden eyes narrowed to mere slits.

"I'm not afraid of you." She said darkly. "Maybe I was once. Maybe I did what you told me, then. This wasn't what we discussed at the space station, and you know it. We're meant to be looking for the Dark Heart. What's bitten you now?"

"And how long did you think I'd believe your lies?" Haki demanded. "We've been trailed at a distance the whole way by the ship your boy left on. The boy and the princess...strange, isn't it? Why should that be?"

"Ask them." Ryoko said flippantly. "Maybe I forgot to pay my half of the cheque again."

She shrugged. "Besides, pirates lie to one another all the time. Did you really expect me to show you all the cards in my hand at once? Shame on you, Haki. Time has made you naive."

"I think we've hit a stalemate, then." Haki said softly. "Your friends don't seem all that keen to engage me in battle. I guess they want the police reward, but don't really care whether they come into contact with me or not. They're not going to rescue you, Ryoko. And you're right, pirates do lie to one another. I've lied to you too, my dear. All the time I've known you, in fact. I've lied consistantly for a very long time - all so that one day I could do this."

He raised his hand and without warning, black metal tentacles ripped from the ship's walls, wrapping themselves firmly around Ryoko's wrists and ankles. She struggled to phase free, or teleport loose from the bonds, but in an instant she could feel her magic draining out of her body, and she glared at him with a mixture of venom and fear.

"So what happens now?" She demanded, false levity in her tone. "Is this really the only way you can get a date these days?"

"You can joke all you want." Haki said quietly. "I have more to take from you than simple pleasures, Ryoko."

"I should be insulted by that." Ryoko pursed her lips. "But you know what...you're really not my type anyway."

"You can't control the power of those blasted gems whilst your devil magic is contained." Haki said carefully, approaching her and standing just out of her reach. "But I can still use them, through you. Karasu has been primed for this ever since the regeneration. Before, even. You are the key to finding the Dark Heart and completing the set. Even if I can't touch the stones, Ryoko...I don't need to touch them to use them. I have you, and you'll act as a perfect foil for their magic."

He reached across to the control panel, flipping a switch and a bolt of electric energy shot through Ryoko's shackled body. She let out a shriek, struggling against it's hold, but Haki just smiled, pushing the switch up two more notches, and then turning his back on her, glancing up at Karasu's monitor.

"Soon, my friend." He said quietly. "The two gems will find their sister, and then the trio will be complete. Ours, at long last, to control the universe the way we choose!"

------------------------------------


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Ryo Ohki!"

Back aboard Yagami, a sudden howl echoed around the bridge of the ship, as the small cabbit threw herself bodily at Tenchi, clawing and yowling at him in a frenzied panic. "Ryo Ohki, what's gotten into you? What's wrong? Calm down! Ow! That hurts!"

"Ryo Ohki, stop it!" Ayeka hurried to Tenchi's side, doing her best to prize the tiny claws away from his skin. "What are you trying to do? You'll hurt Tenchi! Ryo Ohki? Ryo Ohki!"

Ryo Ohki stopped pawing, letting out a long, mournful yowl as she raised golden eyes to Tenchi's, and a lump rose in his throat.

"Ryoko." He said softly. "That's what you're trying to tell me, isn't it, Ryo Ohki? Something's happening to Ryoko...or maybe something's happened. I don't know."

"Do you think they're still bonded?" Ayeka still clutched the creature tightly, preventing her from going into another fit of rage. "Ryoko left us without her. I wondered about it at the time, Tenchi. It's what I said...the gems have driven her over to the dark side. And they're turning poor Ryo Ohki mad too, at the same time."

"I don't know." Tenchi got to his feet, reaching out a hand to touch the cabbit's ears. Ryo Ohki flinched away, letting out another heart-rending yowl of pain. "No, Ayeka. It's like she's in pain...she's trying to tell us something. Something about Ryoko. And something aboard Haki's ship."

"We're detecting huge energy emissions from the deck of Karasu." At that moment Washu pushed open the door, stepping out onto the bridge as the door disappeared behind her. "It just messed up everything that I was working on. Does anyone have any idea what's going on over there?"

"No, but Ryo Ohki's gone crazy." Ayeka held the small creature out, and carefully Washu took her, stroking her fur gently.

"Your bond with Ryoko is augmented by the gems, isn't it?" She murmured. "You know what she's going through better than any of us."

She raised her gaze to the Princess.

"I'd say that whatever is happening aboard that vessel, Ryoko is probably going to need some help." She added. "She's flown solo for long enough - shouldn't you people be thinking about donning armour and heading on over there to help out?"

"Help Ryoko?" Ayeka blinked. "But surely..."

"But surely...?" Washu mimicked. "Well, it's your call. I just want to get back to my work...but if you do decide to go, well, I think I've got something that might help you get aboard."

"Ayeka, we have to go." Tenchi grabbed the Princess by the wrist, and Ayeka frowned.

"Go back there? After the way that man treated me?" She demanded. "Never."

"But Ryoko!"

"Tenchi, that girl causes nothing but trouble." Ayeka shook her head darkly. "Why should we help her when she's probably beyond our help anyway?"

"Because she bartered her life to save yours." Tenchi said softly. "And it isn't the first time she's done it, either. Ryoko is my friend, Ayeka, and whether you come or not is up to you. But I won't leave her to fight Haki on her own, whatever you decide."

He reached down to pick up the Juraian sword, glancing at it, then clutching it more tightly in his grip. "Okay, Washu. I'm ready when you are."

"Ayeka-san?" Washu raised a questioning eyebrow at the Princess, who sighed. She nodded her head slowly.

"All right." She agreed quietly. "I'll come. But I still say this mess is her own doing."

"Then you'd both better step into my lab a minute." Washu said with a shrug. "Come on. Quickly! I do have other things to do, you know, and judging by the little gal here, Ryoko needs you both pretty badly right now!"

Ryo Ohki let out another shriek, bounding out of Washu's grip and up onto Tenchi's shoulder, gripping his shirt tightly. She flattened her ears, letting out a low hiss.

"I think she wants to come too." Tenchi said in surprise. Washu shrugged.

"Well, it's only natural." She said simply. "Ryo Ohki and Ryoko are bonded, Tenchi. Like Ayeka is to Ryu Oh or...well, just like that. Of course she wants to go help."

She reached out her hand, petting the angry cabbit affectionately.

"And her breed are especially known for their loyalty." She added. "Yes, Tenchi, take her aboard. If nothing else, she might be your escape route out of there if things don't go to plan."

"All right." Tenchi nodded his head. "Then I guess we're out of here."

--------------------------

"_And whatever else happens, he must never, ever find her."_

_The woman wrapped her cloak more tightly around her thick wavy hair, pausing to glance at the small form in the crib, a tender look in her soft emerald eyes. She reached down a hand, touching the tiny pale fingers and eliciting a gurgle from the child, who waved her own fists at the attention. _

_The woman's eyes became sad, and she drew her hand away._

"_This is the last time I'll come here." She murmured. "It's too dangerous. He's too dangerous. If he knew - if any of them knew what goes on here, then we'll all be in trouble. And if he knew about her, then he'd kill her…the heart that beats inside of her beats with Jurai's strength and it wouldn't take him long to work that out."_

"_Where do you intend to go, sensei?"_

_The room's other occupant glanced up from her corner, fixing her companion with a troubled stare. "You know what you ask of me? What you want me to do? Are you really sure this is...what you want?"_

"_Oh, believe me, I know exactly what I'm asking you to do." The woman's face became grave. "And I know it's what I have to do. I'm asking you to raise my daughter as your own child, to tell her nothing of her true origins, that one day, even if we meet, she won't know me as we pass. I'm asking you to teach her all the things you know she needs to know, and how she should use them to her best advantages, since I won't be here to help her do it. She's important, and her survival doubly so…which is why I can't be a part of her life. If I stay at the Academy, nobody will be any the wiser. I have work there, after all. People would notice, if I were gone. He might notice. And then he'd come looking for me all the more."_

"_You don't know that he won't come anyhow." The companion pointed out, getting to her feet and lifting the baby up into her arms. "He might. He's a powerful man and he has influence at the Academy. What if he does come? What then?"_

"_Then you and the baby will be well out of his grasp." Her mentor said quietly. She reached into her purse, pulling out a small capsule and setting it down beside the crib._

"_When she's old enough, these are for her." She added. "You know that I took them from under his nose, which is another reason why he must never associate me with her. I really believe they'll augment her power, and if she's trained as strongly and as well as I know you'll train her, she'll be a match for any usurper. What I discovered while on that planet nobody would believe by my word alone - but it will come and I will not take the risk that nothing can be done to prevent it. If Jurai are not prepared, make sure she is. She must not know he is her father. When the time comes, she must be willing to sacrifice all if need be. And she must be willing to kill him without compunction."  
_

_She clenched her fists._

_ "I must end it. With her help."  
_

"_Yes, I know." The younger woman sighed, rocking the baby gently as she began to fall asleep. "And I'll do my best to do all you ask of me."_

_The woman smiled, a sad, haunted smile._

"_Most of it will have to be her own doing, Kichi." She said softly. "If her mother's spirit and her father's power stir together inside her, she will make a formidable enemy for anyone to have. Make sure that you guide her on the right side where you can. This world may one day rely on it."_

"Ryoko!"

Sasami sat bolt upright, breathing hard as she struggled to regain her composure. She glanced around her wildly, taking in the compact surroundings of Yagami's accomodation quarters, and she let out a heavy sigh, leaning up against the wall of the ship. Slowly she shook her head.

"These dreams need to stop, Tsunami." She said aloud, a plaintive note in her voice. "I can't take it any more. I don't know what they mean!"

A soft breeze blew through the chamber, and Sasami almost thought she felt the brush of a tree's branches touch her cheek. She groaned, burying her head in her hands.

"Tell me what's going on! Tell me why you're making me see all these things?" She begged. "I want to understand, Tsunami...why do you have all these memories? And why do you tell them to me...what are you trying to say?"

There was a moment of silence, as the images from the dream flitted back through Sasami's confused head one by one. As the woman turned her face into Sasami's view, the young girl let out a gasp.

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "Oh! But Tsunami...what does it mean? If she is really...but how can that help? Because Ryoko is in trouble, isn't she? That's why you're telling me these things! You want me to help Ryoko...but why? Surely Ryoko would be your enemy? Or is it something else? Help me, Tsunami! I don't understand what you want to tell me!"

The breeze brushed by her again, and this time Sasami could clearly hear the rustle of branches, delicate but almost like a voice whispering in her ear. All of a sudden, she understood what the dream had meant.

Determination flooded her young features, and she got slowly to her feet.

"Tsunami, where are Ayeka and Tenchi?" She asked. There was no response, only the sighing of the ship as it navigated it's way through deep space, and Sasami frowned.

"Fine." She said flatly. "Then I'll go speak to Washu. That's what you want me to do anyway, isn't it? I'll go ask Washu. But she's gonna be mad at me...and I don't know how any of this is going to help Ryoko or us to defeat Haki!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Washu-chan?"

Washu glanced up from her computer screen, turning with a frown to face the cause of her interruption. As her machine dissolved into nothing, she folded her arms, eying the intruder with a dark glare.

"I was in the middle of something important." She snapped. "Sasami, what is it? What do you want?"

"Are you still working on something for Yagami?" Sasami asked curiously. "When Mihoshi said you were in here, I wondered. You've been shut away for a long time."

"No." Washu said shortly. "Not that it matters. Now you've interrupted me, my train of thought is gone."

"I'm sorry." Sasami sat herself down on the nearest free surface, looking contrite. "Really I am, Washu. But I need to talk to you. It's important. Really important, in fact."

"To me?" Washu stared. "What about Ayeka? Haki didn't wipe her brains out, I hope!"

"No. But this is something different and Ayeka wouldn't understand." Sasami said primly, swinging her legs idly. She seemed very young somehow, Washu thought, to be constantly involved in so much chaos and trauma. And yet very little seemed to phase the girl for long. Despite herself, Washu found a grudging amount of respect for Sasami's spirit underneath her initial resentment at being so summarily disturbed. She nodded, sitting back in her seat.

"All right." She said. "But make it quick. And if it's a facts of life talk, you can certainly take that up with your sister - if she doesn't know what to do with men yet, she'd better learn fast before she ties the knot with Lord Takeru."

"Washu!" Sasami giggled, her cheeks reddening. "No. Nothing like that, I promise."

"Then get to it. I have work to get back to."

"Why do you always work, Washu?" Sasami tilted her head on one side, regarding the scientist with a penetrating stare. Washu blinked.

"Because I'm a genius, and it's what geniuses do?" She suggested. "That's an odd question to ask, if you don't mind me saying."

"I know." Sasami nodded. "But I wondered, that's all. I'm curious. You do spend all your time locked away with this experiment or that one. That's all you ever seem to do."

"What else is there to do in this universe but create?" Washu asked simply. "I like to build new things, and watch them take shape before me. I like watching them grow, Sasami. Develop and strengthen with every change I make."

Sasami was quiet for a moment, digesting this. Then she raised soft crimson eyes to her companion's sharp green ones.

"Does she know?" She asked softly. Washu stared.

"Does who know what?"

"Ryoko."

"You've lost me." Washu held up her hands, but a flicker of panic stirred in the depths of her soul. Quickly she quelled it. Sasami was a little girl - she'd barely even lived a heartbeat in comparison to the scientist herself. She couldn't know what she was asking...what she was talking about. She was just being a child...and asking the usual childish questions. Well, she had dealt with that before, and she could handle it again. She had never broken her will and she never would.

And then Sasami's next question destroyed all that.

"Does she know that you watch her grow, develop and strengthen?"

"Sasami, what are you talking about?" Washu could not keep the edge from her voice now, a frown touching her face. "If you're just hear to play games..."

"Does she know that you're her mother?"

"Me?" Washu's heart leapt into her chest. "What stories have you been listening to, little girl? Who told you such a crazy tale?"

"Tsunami." Sasami said composedly. "Does Ryoko know?"

Colour slowly drained from Washu's face, and she shook her head slowly, unable to voice a word in her own defence. Sasami's expression became grave.

"I had a dream." She said slowly. "You went away. I know it was you, though you looked different somehow. Younger and yet older at the same time. Ryoko was there too, and another woman. You were leaving them...you were running away."

Washu fought with her emotions, finally gaining control of herself. She got to her feet, grabbing Sasami roughly by the arm and pulling her to the far side of the laboratory. Sasami winced, struggling to free her grip, but it was impossible.

"Who have you told about that?" She demanded in low tones. Sasami stared, fear sparking at the back of her eyes.

"Nobody." She said quickly. "I was going to tell Ayeka, but she and Tenchi aren't here. And anyway, Tsunami told me I should talk to you, because you'd know what to do...so I came here. Really, Washu-san...that's the truth."

"Washu-san?" Washu stared, then slowly released her grip on the girl's arm. She let out a low chuckle. "Well. It's been a while since you called me that. What else did Tsunami say to you, Sasami? You and she seem to be pretty intimate these days, telling each other all these big dangerous secrets."

Sasami frowned.

"I don't know, really." She admitted. "It's not like that, Washu. I mean, I don't think I'm talking to Tsunami especially. It's just...well, I have dreams and sometimes I think that when she knows something I should know, she tells me. Like this. She thinks it's important, which is why she sent me to you. Only I don't understand why, not really. I don't know what it all means."

Washu sighed, leaning up against the big glass panels that flanked the wall. She folded her arms across her chest, struggling to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks.

"It was a very long time ago, Sasami-chan." She said softly. "A very, very long time ago. And it's not quite what you think. You have to understand that I didn't run away from anyone. Not intentionally. That wasn't why I left. And if I tell you these things, you have to also realise that you must not repeat them to anybody. Especially not to Ryoko, for her own sake. It can't do her any good to know them after all these years. It may prove dangerous, and might jeopardise her judgement."

"I know." Sasami's brow creased as she tried to remember. "You said that it was dangerous for you to stay. That someone would be after you if you did. A man. You didn't say his name."

"Tsunami's powers of recollection are strong indeed." Washu mused. "Does she recall, then, every event in the life of every branch of Jurai's Royal family tree?"

"I think so." Sasami nodded seriously, then, "Washu? Are you related to us too? Like Tenchi?"

"No." Washu shook her head, a wry smile touching her lips at this. "No, Sasami. It isn't me Tsunami has memories of. I'm not of your kind. Not even from your planet. My family come from a long long way away - and even more years into the past than you can imagine. Who they were doesn't matter now. The race has all but died out, thanks to colonisation and invasion of planets over the past few milennia. They interbred with the invading people, and eventually the gene died out."

"And you, Washu-san? What about you?"

"I discovered two things in life that I loved the most." Washu's green eyes became hazy as she dug deep into her memories. "I loved this universe and all the possibilities it opened up to me. And I loved science...more than anything I wanted to follow my vocation and make a difference in that world. I know you think me crazy sometimes - perhaps these days I am. But I am a genius. That is the truth. And I knew I had to follow my dreams, wherever they took me."

She bit her lip.

"For a long time I experimented alone." She added. "I built many laboratories and conducted many tests. I lost touch with my people in my quest for the perfect scientific breakthrough. My goal was one day to break down the door of the Science Academy. You see, my kind...we were not permitted inside those exhalted doors. We were considered too simple...too volatile. We were ignored."

Sasami did not answer, and Washu chewed on her lip, considering.

"I told you that life on my planet all but died out...that or they evolved our traits into the invading populations." She added. "Those of us left, well, we were called demons. Monsters. They mistrusted us and our strange powers. We were foreign to them and eventually staying there became untenable. Any surviving families took the decision and left, each of us searching for our own future in the big wide universe. I went to the Science Academy, and I petitioned them with creations until they agreed to admit me. It was tough, but I relished the challenge. It was a fight to prove myself - and something I knew that I would do."

She shrugged.

"One summer, that desire to prove myself led me to your planet." She added.

"To Jurai?" Sasami's eyes became big. Washu nodded.

"A...a brilliant young scientist there had made a breakthrough and I was chosen to work with him." She continued. "He had the patronage of the Emperor's nephew, who seemed very intent on everything this scientist did. While I was there, I became involved in their secret work, although even I didn't know the full scale of things right at the start. The Prince was reticent with his secrets at first, but I was a very persuasive young woman."

She looked sheepish.

"Too persuasive, maybe, and I took too many silly, reckless risks back then. I know that going to Jurai was a mistake - something I should never have done, it opened up too many dark pathways that I had no choice but to follow. At the time, though, I couldn't risk passing up the opportunity. Royal Juraian backing was everything I needed to advance myself in the scientific world, and that was important to me. I knew I had to take this chance."

"And so that scientist...was he Ryoko's father?"

"No, Sasami. It's not so simple as that." Washu shook her head, a shadow touching her green eyes. "The project involved confining elements of Juraian magic into three mystical crystals discovered after an ancient volcanic eruption on Jurai. The crystals glowed and emitted rays when brought into proximity with Juraian trees, and it was thought that if the magic could be condensed, amplified and stored then it would be more easily passed from father to son along the royal line. The Jurai Power might no longer be something dormant inside the majority of ruling elite, but something to be called upon for the benefit of the whole universe."

"The Dark Heart!"

"Yes." Washu agreed. "Unfortunately, power corrupts. It causes madness, Sasami. Deep, driving madness in one who cannot handle it. I don't know if the power or the quest for it drove them crazy, but the scientist...he...he commited suicide and the Prince..."

She frowned.

"His name was Kagato." She murmured. "I don't think I need to explain that to you in any more detail."

"Kagato." Sasami breathed. "Oh! So _Kagato_ is Ryoko's father?"

"Yes." Washu bit her lip. "When I discovered his true intent for this Jurai Power he had struggled so much to muster in himself, I knew I had to sabotage the mission somehow. I left Jurai and returned to the Academy, but when I went I took the crystals back with me. And something else, Sasami. I took something else."

She blushed.

"Kagato's genetic material." She admitted. "In my laboratory, I created the ideal environment to nurture and grow a baby to term, and combined his DNA with my own to produce an infant. My people's DNA mixes so easily with the DNA of other species, so it was no problem at all to mesh them together. I created Ryoko to be Kagato's nemesis, to take the jewels and to one day prevent him from destroying everyone and everything dear in the universe I loved so much."

She sighed heavily.

"In so many ways I failed."

"But it's okay now. Kagato is dead, Washu."

"Is he?" Washu shrugged. "His tree still lives. It struggles, but Souja lives on still. While his tree takes sunlight and water, I'm never completely sure that Kagato is truly defeated. Nothing would make me happier than to see it, Sasami, but I am never sure. Defeated, yes. Killed? Well. Time will tell."

"And Ryoko doesn't know any of this?"

"No. She knows nothing. Not about me or about Kagato." Washu shook her head. "I left the baby with a trusted friend on a nearby planet, and returned to my studies. I never went back."

"And then you were imprisoned in the capsule and sent to Earth." Sasami remembered. "But wasn't that because you wanted to _destroy_ the Universe? Washu, I thought you said you wanted to protect it!"

"I did, and I still do." Washu said grimly. "But I was prepared for all eventualities. I knew Kagato like no other knew him, Sasami. Yosho knew him as a battle partner, a cousin, a competitor. I saw him as a devil in Juraian flesh, and that's no exaggeration. He didn't turn bad. He was always bad. The rotten core of Souja proves that - twisted and bent out of the true shape. He kept up his pretence well, but evil burned through him. And if he had succeeded in his plans for the universe, well, I would be ready to foil it for him. It would have been a mercy, Sasami. A quick end rather than a long drawn out death."

Sasami shivered.

"I don't like any of this." She complained. "And now Ryoko is on that madman's ship and what can we do about it? Tenchi says that he thinks Haki will kill her...Ayeka thinks the gems have taken control of Ryoko's brain and that we need to destroy both of them. I'm confused and Tsunami is upset. That doesn't help...it just gives me a headache."

Washu eyed the small girl sharply, taking in her pallor and the shadows beneath the tired crimson eyes. She sighed.

"Tsunami asks too much of you." She mused thoughtfully. "Or is it just what she thinks you can handle, Sasami?"

"I don't understand."

"No...you don't, and right now it isn't important that you do." Washu shook her head. "The important thing right now is Haki and Ryoko."

She frowned.

"What effect those gems will have on Ryoko, I don't know." She admitted. "If she had been trained in the way I'd intended, well, it would have been different. But sadly she isn't...I don't know how strong she truly is, or how much control she can maintain when they are around her."

She sighed.

"Sadly, she may be the only one who can wield them to stop Haki." She added. "Kagato had them tuned for his own line. That's why it was his genetic material I stole when I left Jurai. Ayeka, Tenchi...even you may be able to control the magic. But more than likely you'll be driven mad. Perhaps not you - not with your sudden bonding with Tsunami. But you're very young, Sasami, and it would take much from the Tree of Life. Jurai could not afford that kind of a drain on her power."

Sasami let out her breath slowly.

"And we can't beat Haki without the gems?" She asked at length, sounding to Washu a lot older and wiser than the small girl that stood before her. Washu shook her head.

"I don't think so." She agreed. "I've done a lot of research on his ship...Science Academy background does come in handy sometimes, you know. Karasu-fune is a Phoenix - a design developed at about the same time Kagato's project was just getting under way. In fact, I remember the controversy well, because I was at the centre of it at the time. The Phoenixes were tremendously powerful fire-ships - shooting masses of flame and causing immense damage wherever they go. But more significantly, they cannot be fully destroyed. They regenerate themselves."

"Like Ryo Ohki or a Juraian tree ship?"

"No." Washu shook her head. "If Ryo Ohki crashes, she regenerates herself only, even though she is bonded to Ryoko. If Ryoko dies, well, Ryoko dies. Ryo Ohki can do nothing to bring her back. Karasu, on the other hand..."

She shrugged.

"Haki's life energy is bound to Karasu's, and Karasu cannot be destroyed." She added. "So Haki cannot be killed either. Our only option is to find a way to imprison him - somewhere where he can't hurt anyone ever again. And for that, we need something as powerful as the Dark Heart of Jurai. Only problem is, I don't know where it is."

"Nor do I." Sasami said thoughtfully. "But Tsunami might."

"Yes, Tsunami might." Washu agreed. "But do you have so much access to her thoughts and her memories, Sasami?"

"I think so." Sasami nodded. "I told you, I don't know quite what's happening...but I can talk to Tsunami and she tells me things - shows me memories. Somewhere in her databank she must know something about these gems. Ryoko told Tenchi that Kagato was the last one to have them. If that's true, Tsunami must know what he did with the Dark Heart before he disappeared from Jurai annals.After all, his is a branch of the same family tree as Ayeka and my own."

Washu eyed Sasami carefully for a moment, noticing the grave expression on the youthful face. She took the child gently by the hands.

"Well, Tsunami-kami-sama, whenever you are ready is good with me." She said softly. Sasami started in surprise, gazing up at Washu with wide eyes.

"Washu-san, why did you call me that?"

"Because that's who you are, Sasami - or who you will one day become." Washu murmured softly. "Tsunami's chosen one. It's well known that Jurai trees choose only one master, but Tsunami has waited to choose her partner. She has chosen you, Sasami...one day you'll understand as well as I do what that really means."

"Washu, you're scaring me!"

"I don't mean to." Washu pursed her lips. "I don't think it's something you should fear. Quite the opposite, I should think. Tsunami's power is great and it will bring great pride and happiness to Jurai, when you are truly united. Tsunami-sama. And I never imagined I'd see it in my life time, long as it is."

She laughed at Sasami's foxed expression, shaking her head.

"Never mind." She said playfully. "Right now it's not important enough for you to think on. Tsunami will explain it to you in her own time. Right now we need her help finding the Dark Heart, and we need it soon. If Ryoko is going to have a chance to stop Haki, she's going to need all the help she can get."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Sixteen**

"This place is like a rabbit warren." Ayeka complained, as she pushed her way through the underbelly of Karasu's storage chambers, pausing with a sigh to survey their surroundings. "Or maybe I mean a _cabbit _warren. Tenchi, do you think Washu gets a kick out of sending us to the most random point on the ship? What earthly use are we to be to Ryoko if we can't even find her?"

"I'm guessing Washu found the most remote point in Karasu's structure - the place where our arrival would be least detected." Tenchi replied. Then he shrugged. "Or she was being Washu, I guess. Either way, at least we're here. And we do have Ryo Ohki."

He reached a hand up to his shoulder, lifting the small creature down and meeting her gaze.

"You know where Ryoko is, don't you?" He asked her softly. "Do you think you can lead us there?"

Ryo Ohki scrambled out of Tenchi's hands, bounding away down a narrow corridor and Tenchi grabbed Ayeka by the hand, charging after her as she disappeared around this corner and that, scurrying through the network of tunnels as if she knew them intuitively. Well, he mused, maybe she did. After all, Ryoko had known Haki once.

As the hallway widened out, Tenchi became aware of a big steel door which Ryo Ohki had begun scratching at piteously, turning to Tenchi and letting out a mew. Tenchi nodded his head, glancing down at the sword in his hand, then gripping it more tightly.

"Come on, you stupid thing. We could use some help." He muttered.

At first the blade would not do more than flicker on and off, but, as a blood-curdling shriek came from the room within, the sword flared into life, strong and bright once more. Tenchi, recognising the cry as Ryoko's, slashed at the door, his blade cutting through it's thick darkness like a knife to butter. It swung aside, and Tenchi stepped forward into the drive room, aware of Ayeka at his heels. Startled by the disturbance, the pirate turned, and Ryo Ohki leapt into the room, positioning herself between Haki and Ryoko and letting out an ominous hiss.

"Tenchi!" Ryoko exclaimed, followed by, "No, you stupid idiot! Get out of here! Get back to Yagami! You don't know what you're..."

The rest of her speech was cut off in a cry of pain, as Haki leant back on the switch once more, eying his intruders with a mixture of surprise and derision.

"Well, I had a feeling you were more than Ryoko's apprentice." He said, taking in Tenchi's appearance. "And the Lady Ayeka, too...did you not already enjoy enough of my hospitality?"

"Let her go." As Ayeka bristled behind him, Tenchi spoke with far more conviction than he felt, shooting a sidelong glance to Ryoko's bound form as he did so. She had dropped her head, drawing ragged, pained breaths into her lungs as the electric charge faltered, and anger stabbed through him. "I said let her go!"

"No, I don't think so." Haki shook his head. "Ryoko and I cut a deal - you were there, I believe you heard it all. She agreed to help me find the Dark Heart...so step aside. Leave my ship, before you regret it. And take your rat with you."

He reached out a toe to kick Ryo Ohki, who growled, then launched herself at his knee. "I don't allow vermin on my ship."

"_You're_ here, aren't you?" Ayeka demanded archly. "See, Tenchi? I told you coming here was no good."

"Listen...to...Ayeka." Ryoko managed. "Go...back to...Yagami."

"Not a chance." Tenchi shook his head. "We came to help, and we're not going anywhere, Ryoko."

He met Haki's gaze with an unpleasant one of his own.

"I already told you to let her go. Do I have to tell you again?"

"I don't take orders from anyone." Haki informed him pleasantly. "Ryoko and I have business, like I said. And you haven't even introduced yourself! So rude. Karasu, please show our guests how we treat unwelcome visitors!"

A bolt of flame shot out from the ceiling of the ship, missing Tenchi's foot by inches and despite himself he flinched, taking a step back. Haki laughed.

"That was a warning, boy." He said ominously. "If I was serious, well, I never miss. Do as Ryoko told you. Leave, and I'll let you live. For now. You can't help Ryoko now. Soon Karasu will have taken all of her energy for himself, and the gems will become a part of him too. Karasu and I are bonded ,what's his is mine. Between us we will find the Dark Heart, and then my power will be invinceable."

"What do you want with that dirty space pirate anyway?" Ayeka pushed past Tenchi into the drive room proper, approaching the imprisoned Ryoko and poking her gently, causing that girl to wince and send her foe a glower. "She's uncouth and she eats with her mouth open. What's so special about her?"

"If you don't know that, Princess, it's not up to me to enlighten you." Haki looked amused. "Take a trip to Jurai and talk to that legendary tree of yours. Or doesn't she have all the answers any more? I'm surprised. I thought Tsunami knew the answer to everything."

"She does!"

A fresh voice joined the conversation and Ayeka let out a squeal of dismay as she registered her younger sister's presence on Karasu's bridge.

"Sasami!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Go back to Yagami at once! This isn't safe!"

"I'm helping Ryoko and I'm helping you too, Ayeka." Sasami stood her ground. "Washu sent me here and she's right. I should be here. So don't tell me I'm too young and that this isn't my fight! It is my fight too you know!"

"Well, I'm opening a kindergarten now." Haki folded his arms, a mocking look in his ice blue eyes. "What do you want to play, little girl? Hide and seek? Or how about life and death? Does that sound good to you?"

A bolt of flame flew out from the roof of the ship, heading straight for Sasami, and Tenchi let out a yell, but Sasami stood her ground, raising one hand to the fire. It sizzled and died, dropping ash to the floor before even reaching her, and she lowered her fingers, meeting Haki's astonished gaze with a calm one of her own.

"Tsunami protects the Princes and Princesses of Jurai." She said softly. "All of them. Even those who think she's forsaken them."

"Sasami?" The disbelief in Ayeka's voice was echoed in Tenchi's own mind as he raised his sword, preparing for more fiery blasts. "But how..."

"Not now, Ayeka." Sasami's tone was firm, and she tossed her head, reaching her other hand from where it had been clasped and concealed behind her back and tossing something up into the air. "There's something else Washu sent me here to do...and I'm going to do it."

Haki's eyes became huge as he registered the small, glittering object that flew through the air, glistening and shimmering as it registered the presence of it's sisters. It glowed a dull red, and Haki muttered a curse.

"The Dark Heart of Jurai." He whispered. "After all these years, it's finally mine!"

"Sasami, what have you done?" Tenchi hurried to the young princess's side, but Sasami shook her head.

"What needed to be done." She said simply. "The Dark Heart isn't an evil gem, Tenchi. Jurai magic isn't evil. It's just been twisted, that's all...into something it's not meant to be."

The gem clattered onto the deck, and Haki reached for it greedily, but it sent up a violent pulse of energy, repelling him across the length of the drive room. He pulled himself to his feet, glaring at Sasami as he did so.

"How can one so young as you touch it without harm?" He growled. "It's not possible. Nobody on Jurai has the power to control the Dark Heart!"

"I don't control it. I'm only the messenger." Sasami said with a shrug, as the gem sent up another vivid pulse of energy. Then it hovered for a moment in midair, glowing a vivid scarlet. There was a massive blast of red light, so bright that Tenchi was forced to shield his eyes. And then, in an instant, the room was once more dark.

For a moment, Tenchi thought the gem had been destroyed. Then, in the blackness, a tiny dot of red light shimmered and drifted above Ryoko's battered form. As the gems on her wrists glowed and hummed, the final jewel descended to join them, sending a gentle scarlet pulse around the girl's body as it came to rest on her brow. Ryoko let out a heart-rending cry, as the light engulfed her, and Tenchi took a step forward, but Sasami grabbed him by the hand, pulling him back. He glanced down at her, and solemnly she shook her head, a strange, unfamiliar expression in her eyes. At that moment, however, there was another burst of red light and Ryoko let out another cry as the shackles fell from her hands and her feet, clattering to the ground. Ryoko's body followed, falling to the deck with an earsplitting thud. The dizzy, dancing red lights still continued to flit around her still form, however, and with a final burst, the gem sent out one more pulse into the drive room of the Karasu.

There was a moment as the light twinkled and faded, and then all was still.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi hurried to the girl's side. "Ryoko, wake up! Wake up!"

-----

_The house was dark now, and silent._

_The little girl huddled up against the wall, still afraid to emerge from her hiding place._

_There had been screams, she remembered. Loud and terrifying screams, like the monsters that haunted her dreams sometimes. Mother had been the one screaming, she had been sure, but then it had become quiet again. _

_Two men had come to the house earlier that morning. She had not known their purpose, but from her mother's reaction, she suspected they were bad people. Maybe they were thieves and bandits, she had reasoned. She had often seen them stoned in the town square as she and Mother had hurried from shadowy street to shadowy street, always in a hurry home. Mother always said it was because she didn't like to be outside when it was dark, and the child had not questioned it. In the darkness, strange noises were often heard, and when they were, Mother would come to her and hold her tightly, as if fearful for the both of them. It was those nights that she often had bad dreams._

_It was not night time now, though the house was dim and black, the curtains pulled across the windows as if to hide the sun from view. And it was still silent. There were no more noises. Perhaps now it was safe to find Mother and ask her who the men had been._

_She wriggled cautiously out of her hiding place, scrambling down to ground level and padding across the living room floor, reaching up on her tiptoes to pull back the cloaking curtain. Sun streamed into the room and despite herself, she felt better for it. Now the darkness was gone, the bad thoughts would go too, she decided. It would all be all right, and the rogue visitors had probably already gone to the square to be stoned by now. It was what thieves did, after all. _

_She pushed open the living room door, crawling carefully up the curl of wooden steps to the uppermost floor, where she knew Mother's chamber was situated. Mother didn't like her climbing the stairs on her own yet, but the smooth wooden slabs that spiralled upwards held a fascination for her young mind even now. She liked to be up high, she knew that. Someday, Mother had told her, she would be able to fly and then it wouldn't matter if she climbed. But for now, she was supposed to stay where she was told. She frowned. She hoped Mother would not be angry at her this time._

_The door of the chamber was ajar, and she made her way slowly into the bedroom, stopping dead as she registered the scene before her. Baby confusion flooded her young face as she registered the slashed curtains, and the pile of papers and other paraphernalia littering the floor. Many of the papers were decorated with a reddish liquid, and she wondered if Mother had been painting. Her frown deepened. But Mother did not allow paints in her chamber. And where was Mother, anyway? Mother, who hated mess and chaos of any sort?_

_A low groan from the far side of the bed alerted the infant to the fact the room was not empty, and she hurried towards the source, dropping to her knees and crawling over the mound of papers. Mother lay on the other side, covered in more of the odd red liquid and her eyes were closed. The child reached out to grab her by the hand. If she was having a bad dream, it was time to wake her up._  
_The woman's eyes fluttered open at the infant's touch, blinking a couple of times before focusing on the amber gaze before her. She seemed upset, and the child remembered her forbidden ascent up the wooden stairs. She bit her lip._

"_I'm sorry, Mother. I came up the stairs." She said contritely. The woman squeezed her hand tightly. _

"_It doesn't matter, Ryoko." She whispered, her voice quiet and faint like when they played hide and seek around the living room furniture downstairs. "It's not important now."_

"_Who were those men?"_

"_It's not important who they were." Mother was struggling to sit up now, but for some reason she was finding it difficult to do. Ryoko reached out a tiny fist to help her, but Mother was heavy, and her effort seemed to do nothing except exacerbate the problem of the spilt red paint. She bit her lip._

"_Can we play now?" She asked. Mother's eyes closed briefly, and tears glistened on her cheek. Ryoko's brows drew together in confusion._

"_Have I been naughty?"_

"_No, Ryoko-chan. No, you haven't." The woman shook her head, opening her eyes again. "Listen to me, my child. Listen very carefully. At the end of my bed, do you see a wooden box? It's my jewel box. The one with the dancing fairy that you like so much."_

"_I see it." Ryoko nodded her head. "Do you want it?"_

"_Please." Mother nodded, and Ryoko shuffled backwards, obediently scooping up the wooden casket. She held it out, and Mother took it gingerly in her hands. As she did so, the lid fell back open, and Mother let out a sigh which could have been either a sob or a cry of anger, Ryoko wasn't sure. The casket fell once more to the floor, and Ryoko hurried to pick it up again. Mother did not seem to want it back, however, and she let it drop back among the debris._

"_They're gone." Mother's voice was getting fainter._

"_Who's gone?" Ryoko was confused. "Is this a game, Mother?"_

"_No…no, it isn't a game." Mother shook her head. "Ryoko, you must…you must…"_

_The woman's eyes flickered shut, and she did not finish her sentence. Ryoko looked bewildered for a moment, patting Mother's shoulder._

"_You didn't finish." She said. "Mother, what must I do? I can't hear you."_

_Mother did not respond, and lay still, the pool of red paint growing ever wider as she did so. Mother's face was pale, Ryoko realised, almost as pale as the dancing doll inside the music box and she frowned. _

"_Mother?" She whispered._

_There was no reply. Whatever game Mother was playing, Ryoko didn't like it and she didn't like it at all. Shuffling back from the bed, she closed her eyes, tears welling in her baby gold eyes. _

"_Mother, stop it!" She whimpered. "I don't like this game! I don't like it!"_

_She drummed her hands on the floor, rocking slowly backwards and forwards as her tears overwhelmed her. The world ducked and swayed in her head, teasing and confusing her and at length she opened her eyes, blinking in bewilderment at her surroundings._

_She was no longer in Mother's chamber, but outside in the street, and people were milling all around her. Her fingers and dress were coloured with Mother's red paint and she knew that she would get into trouble for travelling so far from the house on her own - especially when she was in such a mess. But Mother had been playing a funny game, and Ryoko hadn't liked it. _

"_Hello there, little one."_

_The man's gruff voice made her turn, and she stared up at him uncomprehendingly, her tears momentarily stopped by the kind smile in his dark eyes. He bent to her level, taking her hands in his and exclaiming as he registered the redness that tipped her fingers. Ryoko drew her hand away, dropping her eyes in shame._

"_I'm sorry." She mumbled. "I didn't mean to be dirty."_

"_Where are you from, child? What happened to you?" The man seemed alarmed and he scooped her up in his arms, holding her tightly and securely the way Mother often did when she was upset. "Can you tell me? Where is your Mother or your Father?"_

"_Mother is at home." Ryoko pointed. "Father is gone a long way away."_

_The man called to his friend, who took one look at the child's attire, then hurried towards the house, pounding on the door and then forcing it open when his attempts to elicit a response were unrewarded. Ryoko watched with wide, frightened eyes._

"_Mother doesn't like it when the door isn't locked." She said anxiously. _

"_Shh. We want to help your Mother." The man who held her spoke to her gently. "And you too, if you'll let us. Can you tell me your name, little one?"_

"_Ryoko." Ryoko said importantly. "Mother calls me Ryoko-chan. And Mother's name is Kichi-san, but if I call her that I get into trouble. So I call her Mother."_

"_Well, Ryoko-chan, let's see if we can't sort out what's happening here." The man said reassuringly. At that moment his friend re-emerged onto the main street and after glancing at his expression, Ryoko's new friend held her more tightly in his arms. They exchanged some words in a language Ryoko did not understand, and the second man shook his head, holding up his hands. His fingers were also red with blood, and the first man frowned._

"_I see." He said gently, then, "Ryoko, your mother wants you to come with us. Will you do as she wishes?"_

_Ryoko looked confused._

"_She was playing a game. I didn't like it." She said softly. "Is this part of her game?"_

"_Yes. Yes it is." The man nodded his head, and Ryoko tilted her head on one side, considering. At length she nodded._

"_All right then." She agreed. "I'll come with you."_

_------------ _

"_Ryoko_!"

Ryoko opened her eyes, blinking as the pictures flew away and she brought Tenchi's face into fuzzy focus before her. She groaned, struggling to sit upright and reaching a hand to her head as she fought to bring everything into perspective. Memories flooded her heart and her mind, confusing her and distracting her from the situation at hand, but something in Tenchi's desperate tone drew her back into the present, and she remembered that she was aboard Karasu.

Yes, Karasu, where she had been a prisoner, but something had happened...

"Enough of this!"

Haki's voice broke through her tangled thoughts, sending a jarring pain through her head as it did so. "I've done with all these theatrics. The Dark Heart is mine to possess and mine to control. All you've done is bring it to me, little girl. Ryoko is mine - she's always been mine. She can touch the jewels, but her bastard Jurai magic is stunted and unable to control their power. You foolish people...did you think you'd defeat me by driving a space pirate mad with the memories I so carefully removed from her mind, all those years ago?"

As she struggled to her feet, Tenchi's hands guiding her upright, his words sunk in fully and she wheeled on him, glaring at him darkly.

"You bastard." She spat out. "I always knew you'd done something to me...but shut out my past? My life? What else have you hidden from me? What else do you know that you haven't told me!"

She raised her hands as if ready to fight, but Ayeka's hand on her wrist made her pause.

"He's done enough to all of us." The Princess said quietly. "Take five, Ryoko. Tenchi and I will see to Haki...you'll just get yourself killed if you fight him now."

Ryoko stared, but the heavy feeling in her head prevented her from arguing and as Haki let out a yell of annoyance, raising his hand and firing bolts of white flame at his opponants, she watched almost blindly as Ayeka and Tenchi fell into perfect battle harmony. Despite how dead she felt, their intuitive understanding jarred within her and she sighed, sinking back against the ship's wall. It figured. Even now Tenchi was with Ayeka.

"Ryoko, you can't let them fight him alone!" That was Sasami, and as Ryoko turned, she realised the younger princess had shuffled down beside her. Ryoko stared, and Sasami slipped a hand in hers, squeezing it reassuringly.

"It's a lot to handle." She said quietly. "Washu told me to bring it to you. She said you were the best chance...if your magic was strong enough to control the gems, you were the one who could beat Haki. He can't be killed, Ryoko. His ship prevents that from happening. Washu says you need to imprison him somehow. She's ready to do the rest, but you have to act before anyone else gets hurt. I know you're tired and I know the gems have had an effect on you - Washu said that they would. But Tsunami wouldn't have told us where to find the Dark Heart if it wasn't right for us to bring it here. It's her magic too, Ryoko. She wants to help you too."

"I think I understood about one word in seven of that, Sasami." Ryoko held her head in her hands. "I think I need a drink, and...hey!" As her fingers ran over the smooth surface of the third gem, embedded deep into her brow. "Oh, great. Another one stuck to me like a limpet. I don't want them, Sasami! I don't want their devil magic running through me, making me remember things I was better off forgetting!"

Sasami was silent for a moment. Then she shook her head.

"Ayeka and Tenchi can't beat Haki." She said sadly. "Not without your help. Are you going to help them, Ryoko? Because I don't want them hurt, do you?"

"I don't know how to control these things, Sasami!" Ryoko protested. "I'm not a Princess of Jurai. What do I know about the Jurai Power?"

"Tsunami knows who you are, and follows your life as much as she follows mine." Sasami whispered, and Ryoko saw a strange shadow flit across the other girl's eyes. "Ryoko, there's not much more I - or she - can tell you. Just trust me that it's inside of you. And that you can do this. Washu believes you can and you know how she never bets against a scientific certainty. And I believe you can do it too, Ryoko-san. You just have to concentrate."

Ryoko was silent for a moment, then,

"The pictures it showed me...hurt me." She said haltingly. "The gem hurts inside of me...it burns, Sasami. It all burns. What if it's true and it does drive me mad? What if I hurt someone...hurt Tenchi? I couldn't live with myself if I did that!"

"You won't." Sasami squeezed her grip even tighter. "Trust me, Ryoko. Tsunami never lies."

"Tsunami, huh?" Ryoko frowned. "You sure do talk a lot to that spaceship of yours, kid...but all right. If you say so, I guess I'll give it a shot."

Tenchi drew a shaky breath of air into his lungs, ducking and diving the barrage of fire from Haki as he did his best to hold his own. He hadn't been kidding when he'd said he was out of practice, he mused, casting a sidelong glance at the Princess as he did so. Ayeka was clearly tiring too, but the determination on her face told him that she would keep fighting, as if fighting for the honour of her family. Perhaps, he realised, that was exactly what she was doing. Haki had invaded her ship and had taken her prisoner. It was hardly surprising that she was looking for revenge.

A glancing blow from one of Haki's blasts ricocheted off the hull of the craft, making the whole structure sway and shudder beneath the force of the impact. Tenchi struggled to keep his feet as Ayeka lost hers completely, reaching out in vain for something to steady her fall. Tenchi grabbed for her and missed, watching helplessly as the princess was flung across the ship, her head meeting the steel panelling of Karasu's walls with a sharp, sickening crack. She slumped, unconscious, and Haki let out a peal of cold laughter.

"Well, looks like you're on your own now, apprentice boy." He said mockingly. "I'll finish your pretty princess later...do you really think you can take me on on your own? You, who can't even keep that sword's power flowing for more than a few minutes at a time? What are you, anyway? Another of Jurai's delightful string of royal bastards? Or something else? Some experiment, perhaps - a scientific guinea pig?"

"How dare you speak to Tenchi that way!"

Ryoko's voice broke into the conversation before Tenchi could answer and he shot the pirate an anxious look, taking in her pallor and the strange look in her amber eyes. "Leave him alone, you monster! Do you hear me? Leave him be!"

"Ryoko, no!" Tenchi exclaimed. "You're hurt, he'll kill you! _No_!"

"Then let him." Defiance blazed in Ryoko's eyes, and she neatly put herself between Haki and Tenchi. From the sidelines, Ryo Ohki leapt into Sasami's waiting grasp, her own eyes big with the same odd emotions flickering through her mistress's. Haki laughed, shaking his head.

"Do you think you can really control those gems, Ryoko? When you're such a failure in every other way?" He demanded cruelly. "Do you really want to know what I took from your mind, all those years ago? Who you are? Where you came from? Why you came to be?"

"Do I look like I care about more of your lies?" Ryoko countered. "You're a Space Pirate. I don't trust a word you say. You're trying to distract me and it isn't going to work, you understand? I don't care if these rocks kill me, or drive me insane in the process. Let them. What else do I have to lose? A prison cell at the Galaxy Police? An eternity alone in Deep Space, always on the run? You're not going to talk me down - I know what I have to do and I won't let you hurt Tenchi!"

"This is so touching." Haki looked amused. "I knew you had a soft heart, Ryoko. I just didn't know how soft until now."

He raised his hand, sending out a bolt of white light that knocked Tenchi off his feet, winding him and sending him crashing to the ground.

"_Tenchi_!" Ryoko exclaimed, then, "You bastard, Haki! I told you already - leave him alone!"

"I'm all right. I'm all right, Ryoko." Tenchi managed to gasp out, even though he almost felt like he would explode from the energy of the blast. "Really. Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"Well, I'm not." A look of determination crossed Ryoko's features, and her body was enveloped in a soft reddish glow. She raised her hand, as a flicker of orange light flared into her familiar sword, crackles of red light glimmering around the edges of the blade. "Come and get me, Haki, if you really think you can. I'm waiting for you. I'm ready."

"You're such a fool." Haki said darkly. "On my ship, everything works in my favour. Everything, even you, Ryoko."

He raised his hand, and the black tentacles shot out once more, gripping Ryoko tightly around her ankles and wrists. Her blade flickered out for a second as she let out a cry of surprise, struggling against their grip.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi struggled to get up, but Sasami reached out, grabbing his hand and pulling him back.

"Ryoko, you have to use your magic!" She exclaimed. "The gems only increase what you already have inside! You can do this - you just have to find it for yourself!"

Ryoko shot Sasami a bewildered look, then, slowly, a look of understanding flashed into her amber eyes and she nodded her head determinedly. With a yell which bordered on a true tribal battle cry, she thrust her hands above her head, closing her eyes as a flare of reddish light enveloped her. As the light grew stronger, she forced her fists together, the shackles melting and dripping from her wrists as she drew on more and more of her native magic, focusing as much of it as she could through her mind's eye and back into her control. Her sabre flared once more, buzzing with blood red energy as she hovered down opposite Haki, opening her eyes and meeting his gaze face to face. Her eyes were strange, Tenchi thought, glinting and sparkling in a way they never had before, and he began to wonder about the true influence of the gems. Were they really addictive? Could they really drive someone mad?

"So this is it, then?" Haki raised an eyebrow, bringing his own hands together as a burst of white light enveloped him. "You and I. Do you think you can kill me, Ryoko? I already told you, Karasu sustains me. There is no way to defeat me...you would do better to give up now, while you still have your sanity."

"Too late." Ryoko said grimly, reaching up a hand and pulling Haki's kerchief away from his face, tossing it across the floor. Tenchi let out an exclamation, taking in the scarred, disfigured features of the Space Pirate for the first time, and Haki let out a howl of rage, lunging for his young companion as he did so. Ryoko flickered and blurred out of view, reappearing several feet up and sending a barrage of her own energy out to combat his. From the look on her face, Tenchi knew that every effort was a struggle, and he moved to help her, but Sasami held him firmly.

"No, Tenchi." She said quietly. "You mustn't. You mustn't."

"I could tell you a lot of truths about yourself, Ryoko-san." Haki said darkly, his ice blue eyes glinting with malice as he eyed his opponant darkly. "Would you like to know what I really know about you? Why it was that, out of all of the waifs and strays I could have taken, it was you I chose?"

"I don't care whether you picked me out of a high street sale." Ryoko said flatly. "Right now, all I care about is making sure you don't bother anyone for a very long time."

"Did your mother ever tell you about your father, Ryoko?" Haki's features twisted into an unpleasant grimace. "Did she ever reveal to you that side of your lineage?"

A flicker of pain crossed Ryoko's features, but it was gone in an instant and Tenchi almost wondered if he had imagined it ever being there.

"Stop it." She commanded, sending out another barrage of red energy which was countered by Haki's white bursts of flame. "You can't distract me, I told you. I work alone now. I don't care about my family or my past. It isn't important now."

"Not even if I told you that you were Kagato's daughter?" Haki asked softly. "The secret spawn of the bastard Prince of Jurai?"

Despite herself, Ryoko faltered at this, staring at him in wide-eyed horror. As she did so, Haki took advantage, sending a volley of energy bursts that hit her side on, causing her to drop to the ground with a cry of pain.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi was on his feet, but Haki merely laughed.

"I told you you were a fool." He said quietly. "That I would always beat you, Ryoko."

"Then you really don't know me very well." Ryoko struggled to her feet, an angry glare in her eyes like Tenchi had never seen before. "A lucky shot, that's all, and it's the last lucky shot you're going to take in a long time!"

She drew her hands together, and a pulse of red energy burst forth from her body, enveloping almost the whole ship in it's ray as it engulfed Haki in it's blast. "I told you I was going to deal with you and I meant it. Even if it kills me, Haki, I won't let you hurt anyone else."

A second pulse of energy shot out from Ryoko's body, but Tenchi could see it was not quite as strong as the last, and as he took in the look in her eyes he knew that she had meant every word. Trapped in the glare, Haki let up a bloodcurdling yell, struggling to reassert his own power into the conflict, but Ryoko sent out a third flare of red energy, breathing hard as she focused all her power on confining the criminal where he stood.

"It's not enough." Sasami's eyes became wide. "Washu was right...maybe she did fail!"

"Sasami?" Tenchi stared at the young girl, who shook her head.

"Ryoko can't hold him alone." She said softly. "Tenchi, she needs help. Your help. She can't confine him...it's too much for her. Her magic isn't strong enough...she hasn't had enough time to learn to use it."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Tenchi was on his feet. "Ryoko, hang in there! I'm coming to help!"

He raised his sword, as it flickered and shone brighter than it had since the beginning of their conflict. A flare of light burst from the end, mingling with Ryoko's red beams and Haki screamed again, his own body flickering with power as he fought off the strength of the attack. And then, just as Tenchi began to think they would not manage to hold him, a third burst of energy came from the furthest corner of the ship, engulfing the pirate in a flood of magic. Tenchi glanced to one side, seeing Ayeka standing there, her brow bruised and her face screwed up in concentration.

"Someone do something!" She exclaimed. "We can't hold him there forever!"

Ryoko's determination seemed to double at Ayeka's words and she clenched her fists, letting out a screech of her own as she focused all of her remaining energy on the task at hand. Haki echoed her cry with a yell of his own, but this time the combined magic was too much for him and slowly a greyish hue began to touch the edges of his skin, slowly creeping over the whole of his body until he dropped to the floor, confined in solid black crystal and unable to move. His eyes glinted angrily from inside his prison, but he was trapped and slowly Tenchi lowered his sword as Ayeka fell back against the wall of the ship, letting out a sigh.

"Such bad manners." She murmured, sinking down onto the floor. "How rude."

The flare of red light that had engulfed Ryoko's body flickered and died at this, and with a whimper she dropped heavily to the ground, slumping unconscious on the floor of Karasu's drive room. With a clatter, the three gems detached themselves from her skin, rolling onto the hard surface as their light flickered out.

For a moment, noone spoke. Then Ryo Ohki dropped down onto the floor beside the still pirate, resting her head on her paws as she let out a mournful yowl.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi hurried down by the girl's side, but the pirate made no response. Desperately he tried to find any sign that she was alive - a heartbeat, anything...but he had never seen her look so pale, and terror grabbed at his heart.

"Ryoko." He whispered. "What have you _done_?"

"Tenchi?" Sasami's voice behind him made him turn, and he glanced up at the young girl, fighting his emotion as he met her gaze. Understanding crossed Sasami's face and, without a word, she carefully collected the three gemstones up, slipping them carefully into a slim plastic capsule. Then she crouched at Ryoko's side, placing a hand on her arm.

"Ryoko?" She whispered. "Don't give up yet, Ryoko. It's not time for you to die."

"I can't find a pulse." Tenchi forced his voice to stay level. "I can't hear her heart, Sasami. She really meant it, didn't she? When she said she'd do this - even if it killed her?"

"Ryoko?" Ayeka joined them at that moment, and Tenchi noticed a look of genuine concern on the Princess's face. "Oh, what have you done now, you silly girl! Nobody told you to go kill yourself! Now what are we meant to do!"

Tenchi swallowed hard, unable to answer. He turned his gaze back to the still form in something of a daze, knowing what he was seeing but yet somehow unable to believe it was really true. Not Ryoko. Not now. Not after everything they had been through together.

And then Sasami was between them, taking Ryoko's other hand in hers and closing her eyes.

"Tsunami, Ryoko needs you." She whispered. "Please, help her. If you can hear me, Tsunami, you know what I'm asking of you. You're sworn to protect all the daughters and sons of Jurai...please help Ryoko to find her way back."

"_Sasami_?" Ayeka's eyes were big with wonder, but the young girl took no notice, a look of fierce concentration crossing her brow. For a moment, nothing happened, and then a flicker of colour began to return to the still pirate's ashen cheeks. Tenchi reached for a pulse frantically, almost dizzy with relief when he felt the soft, gentle beat of his friend's heart, pulsing and alive once more. He glanced at Sasami, shaking his head slowly.

"I don't know how you did that." He said softly. "But your magic is truly amazing, Sasami."

"It's not my magic." Sasami opened her eyes, shaking her head. "It's Tsunami's magic. The Juraian Tree of Life. She protects all of the Royal Family of Jurai, Tenchi. Even those branches which are distant and hard to reach."

"Does that mean...?" Tenchi glanced back at Ryoko, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest as she drew breath into battered lungs. "Was Haki telling the truth? Is Ryoko really Kagato's daughter?"

"_Kagato's_...?" Ayeka reacted with alarm, but Sasami nodded her head.

"Tsunami knows Ryoko through her Juraian blood." She agreed solemnly, somehow seeming much older than her young years. "That's why she was able to help her."

She got to her feet, swaying slightly as the impact of her effort began to take effect and Ayeka took her gently by the arm, supporting her young sister.

"Obviously there is a lot you have to tell me, Sasami." She said gravely. "But right now, we have to deal with the matter at hand. If Ryoko lives, she still needs help. And Haki might be trapped, but he's not confined yet. We need to work out some way of dealing with him - of imprisoning him somewhere he can never get out."

"Washu says she has an idea on how to do that." Sasami remembered. "She's going to trap him in a subspace dimension...somewhere that it's practically impossible to escape from. She was working on the final details when I left...it's why she didn't come here with me."

"Will the ship attack us, if we try to leave?" Tenchi wondered. Sasami shook her head.

"Washu told me that Karasu's energy was bound to Haki's and vice versa." She said tiredly. "Haki is trapped so so is Karasu. The ship is frozen too, Tenchi. We're safe enough. But Ayeka is right. We need to get back to Yagami and," She yawned. "I need to take a nap. I'm exhausted by all this excitement."

"Then it's time we went back." Tenchi gently scooped up Ryoko's unconscious form in his arms, holding her tightly as Ryo Ohki scampered up onto his shoulder, her eyes fixed on her mistress's body. "Ayeka, do you have Washu's device?"

"Yes, I have it." Ayeka nodded, pulling the small flat disk from her pocket. "All right, everyone. Let's go back."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Seventeen**

_  
"Ryoko? Ryoko! Oh, where are you, confounded girl! Ryoko!"_

_Ryoko perched high on the roof-beam of the palace chamber, gripping tightly to the wood as she watched the woman below hunting for her, calling her name with ever more impatience. "Ryoko! Where have you got to this time! Ryoko! Are you even here? Answer me, you stupid child! Answer me!"_

_Eliciting no response, the woman left the big chamber, the door sliding shut behind her and Ryoko let out a breath of air, leaning back against the beam as she did so. She disliked the woman, with her nagging, high-pitched voice and her quick temper. If she didn't work hard enough or quickly enough, she was liable to get a beating and she had no mind to be attending to the back-breaking chores of the palace staff today. The sun was too bright in the sky, and she had no interest in being the royal family's slave._

_"But they haven't thought to look up to find me, yet." She said softly to herself, a mischievous smile touching her lips. "I can spend all of the day up here if I like and nobody will ever find me!"_

_"I'm really not sure what else we can do about her."_

_The voices drifted down the passageway, and despite herself, Ryoko froze, pressing back against the beam as she heard the familiar voices of the Crown Prince Azusa and his brother, Lord Haru. The door opened once more to admit the two princes, sliding shut with a soft whirr behind them, and Azusa let out a sigh, making his way through the middle of the rows of seats and taking one for himself. He nodded his head, a look of defeat on his face._

_"Father is not going to budge on the subject." Haru added. "And I agree with him, Azusa. We've tried. We've all tried. But every chance we've given her has turned out to go the wrong way. Some of the staff are beginning to whisper things, too. I've heard so many complaints about her unruly, rebellious behaviour and even more about strange happenings - even from my own young daughter Ayeka. Azusa, you know that we can't continue to keep her here. You know and I know that she does not belong on Jurai."_

_"I understand what you are saying, Haru, but you must realise that it's hard for me to turn anyone away when they need help." Azusa said frankly. "After what happened to her mother...what else could we do but take her with us?"_

_"We don't even know who her mother was. Not really." Haru said softly. "Nor do we know the true circumstances of her death. The child has magic, that's sure enough. Strange, dark magic that's alien to Jurai. Some have even claimed to see her fly. What if they're right? What if she is dangerous? What if she was the one who killed her mother?"_

_"A small child?" Azusa reacted incredulously, bringing his hand down with a thump on the arm of his chair and making his brother jump. "Haru, see some sense! She was no older than your Sasami when we found her. If that, even! I defy you to tell me how such a young one could even imagine hurting her own mother that way!"_

_"And how did she get out into the middle of the street by herself, when minutes earlier she had been nowhere around?" Haru demanded. "I know you think it's idle superstition, Azusa, but I take threats to our family very seriously. It's more than possible that her mother was some kind of a demon or dark agent sent to raise her in black magic. And you've seen how the girl behaves. Sometimes she's like an animal, even though more than one person has tried to tame her and bring her in line. There is something savage about her. Something violent and unnatural. I don't like it at all."_

_Ryoko bit her lip, knowing all too well by now that they were talking about her._

_Azusa sighed._

_"Ryoko is a waif and stray - a ward of Jurai and that's all." He said slowly. "I know that she's a handful sometimes - she can be wild and she doesn't take well to training or orders. But we promised to take care of her, and then Father decided to exile her to the house staff's custody, as if she was somehow tainting the palace by being with our children. No wonder she's resentful. She's been pushed about for the last ten solar cycles and I can imagine she's pretty upset about it. She lost her mother, Haru, and she has noone else. Jurai isn't a planet who turns away people in need. Ryoko has need, and I believe we can tame her and even use her to our advantage. If she does have magic deep within her, and it is powerful, then we can only benefit by securing her allegiance to Jurai. One day she may fight with your daughter's name on her lips, Haru. Did you think of that?"_

_Haru was silent for a moment, and when he spoke, Ryoko had to strain to hear every word._

_"I will not have her influence around, upsetting Ayeka and Sasami." He said softly. "It's not your family she's affecting. Yosho is grown. He's training and growing and learning what one day he will have to know to be Emperor after you and after Father. He is not here to witness all of this and I'm glad of it, too. I can only imagine what he would say if he knew how soft you'd become over one lost child. I almost wonder if you know more about her birth than you've told me, Azusa. If your interest in this maid is more than just a passing whim."_

_"Haru! What are you suggesting?" Azusa's tones were enraged. "Do you think I would dishonour my lady wife in such a way?"_

_"Then why are you so keen to help this girl?"_

_"Because she lost her mother young, just like you and I did, Haru." Azusa's tones were filled with regret. "You don't remember...you and our sister Aiko no more than young babies. But I still remember her and I remember the day she died. Ryoko lost her mother too and whether she speaks about it or not, she must remember some of the pain of that parting. If I can do anything to help her survive that then I will."_

_"Then you will have to find an alternative solution." Haru sighed heavily. "Even her presence here disturbs so many people, and you know it as well as I. Father's mind is made up and I doubt very much that you'll change it. Ryoko must leave the palace. Send her to a colony, if you're so keen to keep her within Jurai territories. Somewhere where they will train her and discipline her and teach her to be the kind of person that makes our planet proud. But don't keep her here, where her strange magics frighten the younger palace staff and her wild behaviour distresses my family."_

_Azusa frowned, shaking his head. _

_"All right." He said unwillingly. "Tonight, after dinner, I will send for her and I will make those arrangements. But it pains me to do it, Haru. So much can be altered in a child when they are so young. Ryoko is barely more than twelve or thereabouts. Imagine if it it was your Ayeka who we were stranding on a strange and lonely planet. How would you feel then?"_

_"Ayeka is a Princess of Jurai." Haru said stiffly. "There is no comparison."_

_Ryoko had heard enough. Flickering out of the protective network of beams and re-materialising in the corridor, she ran helter-skelter through the palace towards the safety of her small chamber, tears blurring her sight as she ran. _

_"How can they talk about me like that?" She muttered. "Like I'm some kind of a tool to be used or sharpened when they need me! I'm not their servant or their tool! If they don't want me, well, I'm not going to stay here, either!"_

_She reached her destination, flinging open the door and beginning to dig through her meagre belongings, grabbing this thing or that as her mind began to put together her next plan of action. Finally she sat backwards, taking a silken hair ribbon from her dresser and tying the belongings together in one neat, tight pile. She scooped it up, testing it for weight, then she nodded._

_"I'll show them that Ryoko isn't a tool!" She exclaimed. "And that damn Ayeka too! I'm not a monster and I'm not someone's property, to throw around like I don't matter. If they want me to leave the palace well, I'll be gone long before dinner time! Then let them be sorry when they can't find me!"_

"Ryoko?"

Ryoko opened her eyes as she felt the touch at her wrist, for a moment not sure where she was. The room was in darkness and, imbued with the vivid nature of her memory she let out a cry, pulling her arm back from the other person's grasp. There was a moment of hesitation, then she felt a gentle touch on her cheek.

"It's all right, Ryoko. It's only me. Tenchi." The words made slow sense in her sluggish brain and she fought to regain full clarity, blinking and bringing the room into focus. Tenchi's anxious face stared down at her, and as she drew breath into her lungs, she realised that she was back aboard Yagami, in one of the ship's bunk rooms. She sighed, relaxing on her pillows.

"Was I dreaming?" She asked faintly. Tenchi smiled.

"If you were, you've been dreaming for a long time, Ryoko." He said frankly. "You've been out for almost three days...I was starting to worry about you. I thought the gems might have damaged your mind...that you might never wake up."

"Three days?" Ryoko struggled to bring herself upright, realising as she did so that every muscle in her body ached and groaned against any kind of movement. She fell back against her pillows with a grimace.

"Something hurts?" Tenchi was immediately alert, and Ryoko nodded gingerly.

"Only everything." She muttered wryly. "Don't worry about me, Tenchi. I'm just great, really."

Tenchi's expression broke into a warm grin and he took her hand in his again, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Washu said she thought you would wake up." He admitted. "But I didn't know...you didn't seem to hear any of us when we tried to talk to you. It was like you were delerious, but you didn't have any fever. You'd say things but we couldn't make them out. I was worried, Ryoko. We all were. I'm glad you're okay."

He paused, then,

"Do you remember what happened aboard Karasu?"

Ryoko struggled to drag the pieces of splintered memory together, pushing the more vivid childhood recollections out of her mind as she turned her memory back to the conflict with Haki. Slowly she nodded.

"Bits of it." She acknowledged. "Not everything. Did we...?"

"We did." Tenchi nodded his head. "Haki is confined in a sub-dimension Washu located, and he and Karasu won't be getting out to terrorise anyone any time soon. You were very brave, Ryoko. Very brave indeed."

"Was I?" Ryoko frowned. "I don't really remember. The last thing I recall is you telling me you were going to help me and then...that's it, really."

She shrugged her shoulders, wincing as she jarred her aching muscles. "I feel mangled. What in hell did he do to me?"

"He almost killed you." Washu's voice interrupted them at that moment, and Ryoko caught sight of the scientist out of the corner of her eye. "Don't complain, Ryoko. If you can feel pain it means you're alive and that's enough for the time being."

She cast Tenchi a look.

"You've been here long enough." She added. "She's a patient and she's not reached full fitness yet. You'll wear her out telling her about things that she'll remember in her own time soon enough. Go on with you. Out."

Tenchi's eyes danced with amusement at her tone, but he got to his feet and Ryoko was aware of him releasing her hand.

"All right, Washu-chan." He agreed. "I'll come back later, when she's more rested. Take care, Ryoko. Feel better."

There was the sound of the cabin door opening and closing, and then he was gone. Ryoko grimaced.

"Why did you do that?"

"Because you are not ready to have lots of people visiting you just yet." Washu said pragmatically. "I don't think you realise how close you came to losing everything aboard Karasu, Ryoko. Now you be a good girl and keep quiet, all right? We're almost at Jurai, and you know how much stock they put in good manners over there."

"Jurai?" Ryoko sat bolt upright at this, letting out a yelp of pain as she did so. "Oww...I should not have done that. But Washu, are you crazy? They hate me there! They'll box me up and send me back to Galaxy Police HQ the second I touch their soil and...ooh, my head."

She reached up to rub her temples as the world swam, and Washu pushed her back down onto her pillows, drawing the covers up over her with a stern frown.

"What do I have to do to make you rest around here?" She demanded, an edge to her tone. "Be quiet, Ryoko, and listen to me. We wouldn't take you to Jurai if there was any risk of you being carted back to prison. Remember, Mihoshi and Kiyone are also under investigation for your release and subsequent charges of treason against the Galaxy Police Force. If you'll just listen, you'll understand why it's the best place for us to be heading."

"All right." A rebellious expression entered Ryoko's gaze. "I'm listening, but this had better be good."

"Ayeka made contact with her father and her uncle late last night." Washu said slowly. "Her uncle, the Emperor of Jurai."

"I'm not impressed...just get to the point."

"Of course, they're ecstatic to know that Ayeka and Sasami are safe."

"No accounting for taste. Go on."

"So ecstatic that they're willing to look into the possibility of a pardon for all existing crimes. For Kiyone, for Mihoshi...and for you." Washu shot her a meaningful look. "Jurai don't control the Galaxy Police but they do have a lot of influence there, particularly at the moment with the Force so depleted. With Jurai on our side, it's the safest place to be while they do their best to lobby officials at HQ. After all, few police patrols would charge their way into Jurai territory the way they charged down to Earth to find you."

"Why would the Emperor of Jurai want to help me?" Ryoko's eyes narrowed to slits as she considered this. "And more, why would Ayeka sanction it? It doesn't make sense. Ayeka hates me."

"Ayeka is a lady of honour." Washu said simply. "You bartered your freedom and possibly your life for hers when you rescued her from Haki's custody. By giving you your freedom and your life, she's repaying the debt owed. She is already thinking like an Empress, that's all...and a good thing too, since once she's married to Lord Takeru she will be more and more involved in the politics of Jurai."

Ryoko was silent for a moment, digesting all of this.

"Well, well." She said thoughtfully. "I would never have thought it of her."

"Perhaps we all surprise people sometimes." Washu agreed cryptically. "Now you shut up and get some rest. When we reach Jurai, I have little doubt that the Emperor and Lord Haru will want to speak to you themselves, and in the state you're in right now they'll think you've spent the night drinking sake and sleeping under a table somewhere. That's not exactly the impression we want to give them, now is it?"

"You're not my mother, you know." Ryoko muttered. "Maybe I want to see Tenchi...what's to stop me teleporting out of this room right now?"

"I wouldn't try it, unless you want an even bigger headache." Washu said briskly. "I put a shield on this room to prevent you from using your powers. I know you, Ryoko. You'll get up and start flying around even before you're ready or strong enough to do so. You've taken a beating and I advise you to think on that for a moment before you try and worry everyone with more of your crazy suicidal antics. All right? Because I do have other things to do than play nursemaid to a bad-tempered patient, you know."

"Fine." Ryoko sighed. "I'm too tired to argue with you. I give. I'll stay here. But you better let Tenchi come back later, Washu, or else I'll be out of here, forcefield or no."

"We'll see about that." Washu eyed her companion contemplatively. "Now shut your yap and let me get back to some important work, okay? I didn't ask to play doctor on this little voyage of yours and I'm just as fed up about it as you are!"

Ryoko did not answer, merely closing her eyes. In the background somewhere she heard the sound of footsteps as Washu left the chamber, and then the door sliding shut behind her. Then she was lost in sleep once more, as the vivid dreams returned.

"Washu-chan, will she be all right?"

As Washu left the cabin, Sasami was waiting anxiously for her, hopping from one foot to the other. "Tenchi said she woke up - is it true?"

"She woke up and I made her go right back to sleep again." Washu said briefly. "I've better things to do than talk to a grumbly invalid who won't listen to a word anyone tells her."

"She is all right!" Hope flared in Sasami's eyes. "Then Tsunami did help her! Oh good!"

"I think you helped her as much as Tsunami did." Washu looked at the young girl speculatively. "Does Ayeka know about all of this yet? How much Tsunami has been speaking to you recently?"

"Not really." Sasami looked awkward. "I don't know how to explain it to her. I'm not even sure quite what happened to me myself, you see. I don't know why Tsunami has chosen me for anything, if you're even right and that is what she's done. It's difficult because I don't understand. So all I told Ayeka was that Tsunami helped me to heal Ryoko. That's all. I didn't tell her about the dreams or anything else."

"I'm glad you didn't tell her about the dreams, Sasami." Washu said quietly. "Considering you gave me your word."

"I would never tell anyone your secret, Washu-san." Sasami assured her earnestly. "But there have been other dreams too, you know. Maybe they all mean something, but I don't know yet. It's all so confusing."

"Not really." Washu shook her head. "When Karasu's cannon fired at Tsunami, you were connected with her. You were driving that ship through space, weren't you, Sasami? You had communicated with her already."

"She seemed to understand what I wanted of her." Sasami nodded her head. "But Ryu Oh does that...I mean did that for Ayeka all the time. And all Jurai ships respond when they are called by a member of the Royal Family. Right?"

"Wrong." Washu shook her head. "Tsunami isn't like other trees. She is the Tree of Life, you know that. The centre and mother of all of Jurai's royal forest of trees. Every ship - even Ryu Oh - is connected to Tsunami, but no one human ever has been. But when Karasu hit the ship, Sasami, you should have been killed. Azaka and Kamadake both said that the cannon blast headed right for you. And yet you weren't even hurt...did you think then that that was strange?"

"Not really. I was worried about Ayeka." Sasami's brow furrowed. "You mean Tsunami protected me then?"

"She did." Washu nodded. "Tsunami chose you then, Sasami. I don't know why yet and nor do you, but one day she'll explain it to you. Either way, you shouldn't take it lightly."

"I see." Sasami sighed. "I was hoping I'd go back to Jurai and everything would be back to normal, but it won't be, will it Washu?"

"Not exactly, but few things in life ever are that way." Washu said thoughtfully. "Don't hide from it, Sasami. Embrace it. When the time comes, you'll know what it means and you'll understand why you were chosen. For now, don't think on it more than you must. That you have a tree of your own now means you're no longer in your sister's shadow. You're no longer a small child but a young woman, ready to greet the universe on her own terms. This is your coming of age, Sasami. Think of it like that, if it helps."

"Perhaps a little." Sasami owned. "I do get fed up with being treated like a child sometimes."

"Well, there you go, then."

"Are you going to tell Ryoko the truth, Washu-chan?"

"What truth?" Washu shook her head. "There's nothing that I need to say to Ryoko, Sasami. If you think about it, you'll know that's the truth."

"Maybe." Sasami pursed her lips. "It just seems sad. That's all. That you can't tell her."

"Well, don't think of it that way." Washu told her. "I don't feel sad, so you certainly shouldn't be. Ryoko is a big girl and she has enough ghosts already in her life to handle. She doesn't need another one clouding her judgement. After all, she has to face your father and the Emperor in a few days time. The last thing she needs is something else to addle her thoughts."

"Father will be so glad to have Ayeka back he'll do anything we ask." Sasami's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Even issue a pardon to Ryoko, if that's what we want. And Ayeka does want it, Washu. She kept on at him about it until he agreed to review the case."

"That makes you happy, Sasami?"

"Well, I like Ryoko." Sasami nodded her head. "And besides, she's part of my family too, Washu."

"Yes, she is." Washu nodded her head. "And I'm glad you feel that way."

She glanced at her watch, frowning.

"And I am already very behind on my project, thanks to all of this nonsense." She added. "Stop distracting me, Sasami...you have other things to do and I'm sure I do, too."

"All right, Washu-chan." Sasami nodded her head, offering her a grin. "I'll see you later."

Washu watched the young girl hurry off down the corridor of the ship, then made her way slowly towards the little room she had turned into her travelling laboratory.

"Tsunami-sama." She murmured, as she pushed open the door. "Whoever would have thought it."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Eighteen**

"It feels strange to be back on Jurai again after so long."

Tenchi stared out from the balcony of the royal palace, taking in the familiar landscape with a slight smile on his face. "The last three years now seem like the dream world, you know, Ayeka. And this is the real world somehow - travelling through space, fighting battles with evil men and women along the way. Which is my true life, I wonder? Sometimes even I don't know for sure."

"Well, if you don't know it yet, Tenchi, I doubt I'm going to be able to spell it out for you." Ayeka looked amused, her long hair whipping round her face in the wind as she wrapped her cloak more tightly around her shoulders. "I asked you once to remain here forever, and you refused me. Are you regretting that decision now?"

"No." Tenchi shook his head. "Jurai is so beautiful, but there is also a lot here that I can't adjust to."

"I know." Ayeka admitted, a wistful expression touching her ruby eyes. "And I'm sorry for that, in more ways than I can tell you, Tenchi. But in some ways I think I've always known it. My duty comes first to me in all things, and your duty..."

She faltered, then,

"Your duty is to Noboyuke-san and Yosho-dono back on Earth." She admitted unwillingly. "You are theirs, not Jurai's. Yosho made that choice when he left this planet with Haruna all those years ago."

"I guess he did." Tenchi nodded. "But the Earth is dull without all of you. I miss you all a lot, Ayeka. It's that part of this I don't want to leave behind."

"Well, there is no hurry for you to leave, is there?" Ayeka questioned. A slight blush touched her cheeks. "After all, would it ask too much of you to be on Jurai for my wedding?"

"No...actually, I'd be honoured to attend." Tenchi grinned. "I've never been to a royal wedding before, and Sasami's talking about it has got me excited too. I know it's a very big deal on Jurai. It'll mean you're officially next in line to the throne, isn't that right?"

"Yes." Ayeka lowered her gaze from his, turning to gaze out across the landscape. "Though that has been my lot for a long time, you know, Tenchi. Yosho left so many years ago now...even in Jurai terms it was a long time ago. So I've been raised for this my whole life, really. The cares of this planet will be mine one day. There's no other choice I can make. This is my destiny."

"I think you're very brave, sacrificing your own feelings for the feelings of your people." Tenchi said gravely. "I know that you don't always want to be trapped in this world, Ayeka. It takes a lot of courage to accept that you are."

"Well, I am what I was born to be. A Princess of Jurai." Ayeka offered a wistful smile. "And sacrifices come with the territory."

She glanced at her hands.

"You will not mind, Lord Tenchi, when I take Takeru as my husband?"

"Mind?" Tenchi frowned. "Why would I mind, Ayeka-san? I want you to be happy and secure...and he seems like a nice guy. Sasami certainly thinks so, and she seems to know all about those things these days somehow. He cares about you...why would I mind about that?"

Ayeka was silent for a moment, then she nodded her head.

"Yes, I thought that's what you'd say." She owned. "In fact, it was what I was coming to hear you say when I was kidnapped by Haki. I left Jurai to come see you one last time, Tenchi-kun."

"I didn't know." Tenchi looked taken aback. Ayeka smiled, gripping him loosely by the hands.

"It doesn't matter." She told him gently. "I knew it a long time ago, and I've learnt to master it inside of me. I knew that, when you would not stay on Jurai, that you would never be a part of my world in the long term. And that's all right, you know. I have my responsibilities here. And sometimes I don't think you'd be up to them, Tenchi. I think, strong as you are, they might ask too much even of you if you were to become Emperor."

"I think you're probably right." Tenchi agreed, leaning against the wooden railings. "Although I'd like to think that, when we leave, it won't be a final goodbye to you, Sasami or Jurai. I might not want to stay here, but I don't want to lose contact with you altogether. We've been through too many things together."

"I agree." Relief flooded Ayeka's eyes and she nodded her head. "Then it's settled. Takeru already promised that we should travel every Jurai year to a place outside of our territories, for he's anxious to see as much of the universe as I have. We won't lose contact with one another, Tenchi...that's a promise. After all, you're a part of my family too."

"Yes." Tenchi nodded his head. "I'd say that I'd come see you too, but you know, transport is a bit more difficult for me."

He looked rueful.

"I'm not sure I make a great spaceship pilot anyway." He admitted. "You and Ryoko make it look so easy."

Ayeka laughed.

"I'm sure you'll have more than your fair share of training in that department." She told him affectionately. "I wouldn't worry, Tenchi. I have a feeling you won't be without space travel capabilities for very long."

"What do you mean?" Tenchi looked startled. Ayeka rolled her eyes.

"So you're not planning on taking Ryoko back to the Earth with you when you go?" She asked. Tenchi drew his brows together in a frown.

"I don't know." He admitted. "I hadn't thought about it, in all honesty. I guess it all depends on your father and the Emperor and whether or not they decide to push the pardon with the Galaxy Police. If they dont, Earth has no defences. Ryoko can't be there safely, and I know the Earth is my world, Ayeka. I guess it all depends on that."

"But if the pardon was to become official, Tenchi? What then?" Ayeka asked softly. Tenchi stared.

"Why does this matter to you?" He asked at length. "What do you want me to say to you, Ayeka?"

"The truth." Ayeka said gently. "She died for you aboard Karasu, you know. It wasn't for me...it wasn't even about me. It was for you."

Tenchi looked taken aback.

"But..."

"You need to stop being so slow." Ayeka sighed. "And take everything into account. We both know, Tenchi, that our futures do not follow the same path. But maybe I know better than you that you want Ryoko in your future...you just haven't realised what it will mean yet, that's all. Why do you think I pushed Father and Uncle Azusa for this pardon? I didn't do it for Ryoko, you know. I did it for you."

She touched his cheek.

"Even if you don't love me, Tenchi, I love you enough to want you to be happy." She added. "I didn't think I ever would feel this way, but it's all right and I do."

Tenchi glanced at his hands.

"We've been apart three years, she's angry at me for leaving her in a police cell and...I don't even know if she will be able to leave Jurai a free woman." He said quietly. Ayeka nodded her head.

"You know, when Kagato took over Jurai, you drew your blade and fought him, almost to the death." She said, her tone soft and almost dreamy as she recounted past events. "When Haki attacked, you were there once again, ready to yell and cry war to defeat him if it was possible for you to do so. You entered those encounters ready to die, Lord Tenchi. And yet you can't even tell the woman you love how you really feel about her."

She let out a soft peal of laughter.

"I think maybe you and Ryoko are more suited to one another than I first realised." She murmured.

Tenchi reddened.

"I don't know if I should discuss this." He admitted. "With you or with anyone, at the moment. So many things have changed in my life...I'm a little older now, and I know more about the universe than I did when Ryo Ohki first crashed to the Earth. But there's so much else at stake. Ryoko's lifespan is long, Ayeka. Mine may not be. What about that?"

"You have the Jurai Power inside you now, Tenchi-dono." Ayeka told him softly. "Like Yosho before you. Your life won't be like the lives of other earthlings, you must know that by now. As Yosho continues to live after so many hundred of your years, so will you after many hundreds of them too. Jurai's energy will keep you while others around you wither and die. That is the true power of Tsunami, Lord Tenchi. The power of life."

Tenchi was silent for a moment, as he digested this information. Then he nodded.

"Maybe you are right." He admitted. He smiled at her crookedly, a sheepish look in his dark eyes. "Though I find it ironic that it's you pointing it out to me. You're a good friend to me, Ayeka. One of the very best I've ever had."

"And I'm content to remain that friend for as long as we both live, Lord Tenchi." Ayeka's eyes twinkled with affection. "But right now your presence with an engaged woman alone up here may be misconstrued, and there is someone else you should really be talking to about this, not me. Go, Tenchi...no doubt we shall speak again before the ceremony."

"No doubt we will." Tenchi nodded his head. "Thank you, Ayeka. And good luck."

"You're the one who'll need the luck, if you've lost your heart to a space pirate." Ayeka's tone was teasing, and Tenchi laughed.

"Maybe you're right." He agreed playfully. "But you never know. Maybe we do have more in common than you thought!"

---------------

"This is highly irregular, you know."

"Haru, we promised Ayeka and Sasami both that we'd do this, and we can't let them down now."

"I know, but Azusa..."

"We said we'd come in person...and that's the end of it."

"This way please, honoured gentlemen."

"But she sleeps still. Surely..."

"I can soon solve that, honoured Lord Haru."

A pin pricked against her arm and Ryoko struggled against the wave of sleep that held her, picking up the disembodied voices as she fought her way back to consciousness. Never had she slept as much as she had recently, she decided, forcing her heavy eyes open and blinking against the bright white light of the chamber. How much energy had she used against Haki anyway?

Washu stood at her bedside, and a smile touched her lips as she registered Ryoko's wakefulness. She nodded her head in satisfaction, sitting down at her left side and gesturing for her companions to follow suit on her right. Alert in an instant, Ryoko shot the two men a wary look. Older they might be, but her memories were still vivid enough in her mind to recognise them both.

She wet her lips, watching as they took their seats.

"Washu said you would want to see me, Azusa-heika." She said quietly, struggling to bring herself into a more upright position. "I didn't expect you to invade my bedchamber...what would your honoured wife say to that?"

The Emperor of Jurai stared at her blankly for a moment, then he frowned.

"This is not a matter for levity, Ryoko." He said gravely. "You know why my brother and I have come here. You must be aware of the appeal made to us by my nieces Ayeka and Sasami."

Ryoko drew her brows together, nodding her head.

"Yes. I am aware." She agreed cautiously. "What of it?"

"What they ask of us is preposterous in so many ways." Haru put in coldly. "Your crimes are many, Ryoko, as well you know. You have vandalised and pillaged twelve planetary systems, causing damage and destruction wherever you have been."

"Thirteen." Ryoko said absently.

"Thirteen what?" Haru looked annoyed at being interrupted.

"Thirteen planetary systems." Ryoko responded, then clapped a hand over her mouth. "Damn! Why did I say that?"

"Even more reason for us to refuse the girls' request." Haru looked across at his brother. "Clearly you're a threat to everyone, if we were to grant you a pardon of any kind."

Azusa frowned.

"Ryoko, tell me something." He said softly. "Ayeka believes you would have given your life in the fight with the Space Pirate Haki. And more...she told me that you used Juraian jewels to defeat him. Can you tell me how that was possible? How you controlled their power?"

"I don't know the answer to that." Ryoko said with a shrug. "I don't know how they work any more than you do. I don't know why they bonded to me or why Sasami gave me the Dark Heart instead of trying to use it herself or giving it to Ayeka. I'm still as much in the dark about that as you are, Azusa-heika. So sorry to disappoint."

Azusa shot Washu a glance, and Ryoko saw Washu shrug her shoulders. The space pirate frowned.

"Something is going on here, isn't it?" She asked suspiciously. "Why ask me about the gems if this is about my pardon? Or do you expect information in return for my freedom? Because I don't have any to give. Not really. I just know that I can touch the gems and Haki couldn't...that's all."

"She's telling you the truth, Honoured emperor." Washu spoke quietly. "You know that. I did tell you that Ryoko knows as little about those gems as anyone else. They chose her. It wasn't the other way around."

"What do you know about this, Washu?" Ryoko shot her companion a confused glance. "And why are you here, anyway? If this is a legal meeting, why aren't Kiyone or Mihoshi here with me?"

"Jurai law states that all interrogations of this nature must involve an impartial witness, to ensure nothing is done wrongly." Washu said primly. "The Lord Emperor and his honoured brother agreed to let me be that witness. Since Kiyone and Mihoshi have their own charges to face, it was felt that I would be a more appropriate choice."

"Yeah. Very appropriate." Ryoko sighed. "All right. What do you really want from me? Some kind of confession of crimes past? Some kind of admission of regret? Because I don't regret things I've done in the past. You should know that now. The past is gone and it's over. I'm not going to dwell on it more than I have to."

"You see! No remorse at all!" Haru exclaimed. Asuza shot his brother a reproachful glance.

"Without the courage of this woman, your daughter may yet be lost to us." He said chidingly. "No, Ryoko. That's not what we want. We know what you have done in the past. That is not what concerns us. What worries us is the future...whether granting this whim of Ayeka's will put civilisations in serious jeopardy."

"That's what it's always been about with you, hasn't it?" The words tumbled out before Ryoko could call them back. "Protecting other people. Ryoko is a danger. She's a demon. Maybe she's a witch. She flies and walks through walls and so she must be cursed by some kind of dark magic. That's what you've always thought of me, isn't it, Asuza?"

"You shouldn't speak to the Honourable Emperor that way, Ryoko." Washu chided, but Ryoko was taking no notice of her companion's advice. She shook her head.

"I don't care." She said darkly. "He's not my Emperor. I'm not a citizen of Jurai...he and his brother here made that very clear to me when they wanted to send me off to some remote colony where nobody would ever see me again. A little girl who put her trust in the word of princes when her mother was taken from her."

Azusa flinched at this. He dropped his gaze.

"So you remember that acquaintance after so many years, Ryoko-chan?" He asked softly. "I'm sorry that you do."

"I remember a good deal of things now." Ryoko agreed. "Including how I feel about your stupid planet and it's laws. I don't care if you pardon me or if you don't...that's up to you. I'm not going to grovel to either of you to try and get in your good favours. It isn't how I work."

"I always said you were a little savage." Haru eyed her coolly. "Some kind of demon child. I told Azusa that he should never bring you to the palace, or involve you in our world...that we didn't know where you came from or what you would become. But he would not listen to me...and now look. I'm proven right, after so many years. The most feared space pirate Ryoko - we should have left you to perish on that godforsaken outpost where we found you."

"Then someone else would have had to rescue your precious princess from Haki!" Ryoko shot back. Azusa held up his hands.

"Enough!" He barked out. "I won't tolerate this kind of argument in my presence. Haru, be silent. Ryoko, calm yourself. You speak without thinking."

Ryoko took a deep breath, glaring at him through mutinous eyes.

"Do you know what kind of demon child I am, Haru-dono?" She said quietly. "Would it pain you to know that I am a child of Jurai just as much as you and your precious daughters?"

"What are you saying, Ryoko?" Asuza frowned. "Tell me. What do you mean? Does it have something to do with the magic in those gemstones? Tell me."

"You don't need more power at your disposal, Emperor of Jurai." Ryoko shook her head. "But I won't be treated like a demon any more. My father was a Prince of Jurai, just as yours was. So then. Now you know all, don't you?"

"This needs to stop now." Washu held up her hands. "Please, Azusa-heika. She's not strong enough for this kind of a confrontation. I had no idea her feelings ran so hotly towards you, else I would never have agreed to it. Not so soon."

"Please explain to me what she means, Washu-san." Azusa looked troubled. "I must know if I have done wrong to one of my own blood. Sasami said something to me about branches of the same tree, but I didn't understand exactly what she means."

"Ryoko died aboard Karasu, my lord." Washu pursed her lips, sending the patient a dark glare that cowed even the fiery Ryoko into silence. "Her heart ceased to beat and she was dead. Sasami was the one who brought her back to herself. The power of Tsunami, your tree of life. If Ryoko was not a child of Jurai, Tsunami's magic would never have been able to touch her. But Tsunami knows more than any of us about the children of this royal house. Ryoko is of your blood, Azusa-dono. Not pure and not in the way Ayeka, Sasami or Yosho might be...but of your blood all the same."

She paused, then,

"She is Kagato's daughter." She added softly. "And a daughter of Jurai. Her demon magic is the magic of this planet, but untrained and wild, mingled with the blood of her mother into something unique to herself."

Azusa was silent for a moment. Then he glanced at Ryoko.

"This is all true, Ryoko?" He asked softly. Mutely Ryoko nodded her head.

"Kagato was a bastard and a usurper." Haru remarked.

"Hey, I didn't love him any either, you know." Ryoko snapped. "This whole fatherhood thing is something I could have lived without discovering - your Kagato gave me a hefty scar down my side as it is!"

"This has gone on long enough." Washu sighed. "Nothing is going to be settled like this, Honourable Emperor. You must see that."

"On the contrary, I think much has been settled."

Azusa got to his feet, pausing to touch Ryoko's hand. His fingers were cool, and she flinched at the energy she felt in their tips. He smiled.

"There is one thing I must know." He said, meeting her gaze with his. "If we were to grant this request, would you continue to be a pirate? Is that what you want to be, for all eternity? For I can't push for something with an easy conscience if I know I will be causing the misery of millions in doing so. Do you understand? I must know."

Something in Azusa's touch calmed Ryoko's temper, and she let out a weary sigh, shaking her head.

"I know what it feels like to be drunk on power." She said slowly. "To have so much of it burning inside you that the impulse to use it and to keep using it, even if it destroys you...that's what Haki wanted. What he would have become, if he had been able to absorb the power of the three gems. That's why he wanted me...because he knew I could touch them where he couldn't. He let his greed and his lust for power take him over...because he had nothing else to fall back on. And I don't want that life any more. I don't want to be alone in space, hunting and destroying things that I can't hold in my own hands. That isn't who Ryoko is deep down, Azusa-heika. That's not who I was meant to be."

Azusa's eyes became grave.

"Then I think it is time I spoke to the Galaxy Police." He said decidedly. "You owe a great debt to Jurai, Ryoko, but then Jurai also holds you in it's debt for helping to rescue the Princess Ayeka."

He stood, turning to face her again.

"I would not have sent you from Jurai if it had been my decision to make, Ryoko-chan." He said softly. "I saw your face that day, when we first found you. I saw what you'd lost and I knew what you felt. But my father had different ideas...the prejudices of his age meant that children of mixed blood were often turned away or reviled by their peers. I was under pressure, and I buckled to it. I am sorry for that."

Ryoko stared at him. Then she tilted her head on one side, offering a faint smile.

"It doesn't matter now." She said softly. "It's past."

The emperor nodded his head, then, taking his stunned brother by the arm, he led the way out of the chamber. The door swung shut behind them, and Washu let out an exclamation.

"Most people who are that rude to the Emperor of Jurai wind up locked up in a secure cell." She scolded. "What were you thinking, Ryoko?"

"Don't nag me. I only told him the truth."

"Yes, more than." Washu glanced down at her discarded syringe, a troubled look marring her brow. "I thought you'd blown it when you lost your temper like that."

A cold feeling settled inside of Ryoko's heart.

"What did you do to me?" She whispered. "Washu, what was in that syringe? I felt the needle go in...what did you dope me with?"

"Asuza demanded it." Washu said simply, meeting Ryoko's gaze with an impassive one of her own. "And I didn't think it would do any harm. After all, what could you tell him that he didn't already know?"

Ryoko sank back onto her pillows, closing her eyes as the realisation sank in.

"Truth serum." She muttered. "Washu, that was a cheap trick!"

"I had no choice." Washu shrugged. "If I'd refused, then they'd have thought you were hiding something about those gems."

Ryoko rubbed her temples.

"I should have known, when I told him how many planetary systems I'd crashed." She said darkly. "I was slow. It's not the first time they've doped me up on this stuff for an interrogation...but dammit, Washu, it was underhand!"

"Well, it may yet go in your favour." Washu's eyes twinkled. "So calm down. You're doing noone any benefit by screaming at me. I'm certainly not reviewing your case, and I've had enough of your company as it is of late."

"The feeling is more than mutual."

"Then I'll leave you to yourself." Washu smiled. "The drug will wear off in a couple of hours, and it won't do you any permanent damage to tell the whole truth for once, Ryoko. You might find it's made a nice change!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Nineteen**

"Detective First Class Kiyone, over and out."

Kiyone flipped off the intercom, letting out her breath in a rush as she contemplated the interview. It could have gone worse, she realised, a rueful expression touching her face as she sat back in her seat, drumming her fingers on Yagami's dashboard.

"I suppose I'm still lucky I haven't been demoted, and I'm not about to be thrown in a prison cell back at HQ." She mused. "He wasn't pleased...but thankfully Jurai's pressure is something the Galaxy Police find it hard to resist."

"Well?" Mihoshi poked her head around the door. "What's the story, Kiyone? Is the chief glad to hear from us or what?"

"Or what is probably the most accurate answer." Kiyone rubbed her temples. "He said that what we did...no, if I'm honest, what _I_ did in breaking Ryoko out was vigilante and careless, and I was fortunate things had ended up the way they did. He was disappointed in me, I think. And I'm sorry, Mihoshi. My bright ideas brought you into this mess as well...you could have been in trouble too."

"Well, I wouldn't have minded." Mihoshi shrugged her shoulders in her usual happy-go-lucky way. "You're my partner, Kiyone. We do stuff together, right? Of course I was coming with you. Where else would I go?"

Kiyone sent her colleague a glance, taking in the wild blond hair, the askew Galaxy Police hat perched atop her head and the wide blue eyes that sparkled with a genuine, open warmth. Despite herself, she grinned, reaching up and grabbing the other girl by the hand.

"Yes, that's true." She agreed, shaking Mihoshi's hand firmly. "We are a team. And right now we're a team that needs to be making tracks back to HQ. We have a lot of paperwork still to write up on this whole business, and I figure if we start now, we can get back in the chief's good books by the turn of the century."

"Oh, Kiyone." Mihoshi giggled. "You're always in such a hurry. Relax, okay? We've just been catching dangerous space criminals. We need a holiday and Ayeka's wedding is not far off. We should go, don't you think? It'd be fun, and she did say she'd like us to be there."

"So she did." A thoughtful look crossed Kiyone's face. She nodded. "All right. We can't really afford to insult Jurai right at the minute, so I suppose we should stay. Since we were invited and all. Sure, Mihoshi. We'll go to the royal wedding. Maybe you're right - it could be nice to have a genuine day off for once in a while."

"I think so too." Mihoshi agreed. She stifled a yawn. "All this work is so exhausting you know, Kiyone?"

Kiyone stared at her companion for a minute. Then she burst into laughter.

"Some things never change." She said affectionately. "But I guess in your case, Mihoshi, it doesn't have to be a bad thing, huh? Come on. Let's head down to Jurai and see if there's any food going. I don't know about you, but I'm starting an appetite!"

-------------------

Freedom at last.

Ryoko pushed open the door of the Juraian chamber cautiously, glancing up and down the corridor before slipping out of the little bedroom, pushing the door shut behind her with a soft click. Washu might have taken precautions aboard Yagami to stop her from getting up, she mused, but no such tactics had been used since they had arrived on Jurai and she had been glad. Whether the Emperor did or did not review her case, she was starting to get fed up of being confined.

"Even if it's just because I got hurt, it still feels like a prison cell." She muttered, as she crept down the hallway, pausing at the end and attempting to teleport out of the complex, into the outside atmosphere. Her magic refused to respond, however, and she sighed, glancing down at her hands.

"Guess I'm still pretty drained." She mused. "Oh well. Looks like I'm taking the long way out. Good thing I know a short cut and I'm not afraid of a scramble."

She turned, doubling back on herself until she reached the other end of the hallway, reaching up above her head to push a smooth white panel out of place. It took a couple of tries, but eventually the square slid aside and with something of a struggle she hauled herself up into the hole, panting with the exertion as she crouched there, debating her next move.

"It's harder when I can't fly or phase." She muttered. "And I am still damn tired. Hell, what did that man do to me? Washu said my heart stopped...was she telling the truth? It's so hard to know with that woman...she's more than half mad as it is."

She crawled forward along the narrow duct on all fours, counting softly in her head as she passed over the individual panels. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. She paused, tapping on the sixth panel and hearing the hollow echo from beneath. A smile on her face, she gave it as hard a shove as she could manage, watching as it tumbled forward, revealing bright Juraian daylight before her. Dropping her legs through the hole, she manoevred herself to the ground, pausing for a moment to enjoy the sunshine and the fresh air.

"Ryoko?"

Tenchi's voice startled her and she swung around, guilt crossing her features as she saw him coming towards her. She frowned, folding her arms across her chest.

"I thought Washu had you confined to bed." Tenchi looked confused. "You must be feeling better, huh?"

"No, actually I feel like someone ran over me with Ryo Ohki." Ryoko said acidly, then she groaned. "Dammit. That wretched drug is still in my system. I'm going to throttle Washu when I get my hands on her."

"Drug?" Tenchi looked alarmed. "What has she been doing to you in there? I thought you were only there to rest!"

"I was interrogated by the Emperor of Jurai and his halfwit brother. Ayeka's father." Ryoko said flatly. "She pumped me full of truth serum and it hasn't fully worn off yet. You probably don't want to speak to me right now, Tenchi. Trust me, I'm not sure I want to talk to you. I might say something I'll regret."

"Truth serum?" Tenchi frowned. Ryoko nodded her head.

"They do it a lot on this planet." She said quietly. "And the Galaxy Police, they picked up the bad habit from them, too. It's quite common now, before a trial, to pump a defendant full of the stuff to ensure an easy prosecution. It saves legal costs, if the witness just takes the stand and babbles out all their secrets to the jury. Though sometimes they babble more than they're supposed to...and then they wind up with a longer sentence as a result."

"You don't think it's fair, huh?" Tenchi eyed her keenly. Ryoko shrugged her shoulders.

"From my side of the coin, it's a cheap trick." She said simply. "Lying is a defence mechanism. Taking it away is like making you turn up to court with no clothes on. Embarrassing and something you'd rather forget."

She bit her lip, and he burst out laughing at her expression.

"So it makes you say things like that, huh?" He asked playfully. "I see. Interesting stuff. I didn't realise. Ayeka never said anything to me about it."

"She probably doesn't know." Ryoko turned away from him, staring out across the horizon. "She's a pampered little princess, Tenchi. I doubt her father has told her the half of the things he's sanctioned and been involved in. He's the Emperor's chief of security...in charge of the planet's safety since the destruction of Kagato. He's a bigoted, horrible little man and I hate him a fair bit. But that's not really important. It can't be a mystery to you that I don't like Ayeka's family."

Tenchi was quiet for a moment. He shrugged.

"Lord Haru seems fine to me." He said slowly. Ryoko snorted.

"You're not a wanted space pirate. It makes a difference." She said flatly. Tenchi looked sheepish.

"Guess so." He admitted. "So what did they say to you, then? Are they going to follow through with Ayeka's request and allow the pardon to go through?"

"Lord Haru didn't want it, but I think the Emperor was convinced I wasn't any threat to anyone out there." Ryoko flexed her fingers. "Which right now I'm not, by the way. I can't even fly."

"Well, give it time. You were pretty badly hurt, you know. You shouldn't be in such a hurry to get fit." Tenchi scolded her. "You should be resting...not sneaking out of the palace and out through vent shafts in the wall to escape Washu's attention. You could at least use the door."

"Short cut." Ryoko said laconically. "And besides, where's the fun in that way?"

"You know this place pretty well, don't you?" Tenchi asked softly. "You must do, if you know your way around the vent shafts."

"I know every inch of this palace. Why do you think Lord Haru is so keen to keep me locked up?" Ryoko shrugged her shoulders. "I lived here once, Tenchi. Oh, not as a princess. That's not my place." As Tenchi looked startled. "But I was a ward of Jurai. Azusa and Haru found me on some outpost planet at the corner of their jurisdiction and they brought me here. My mother had been killed...and they took pity on me. But I wasn't really like the other children...and so I wound up isolated and pretty much rejected by most of them."

"You never told me any of this before." Tenchi looked surprised. "I knew you'd been here, of course - you navigated your way through the defences so smoothly when we came to challenge Kagato that I realised you must have been. But I didn't know that you lived here. You never told me."

"I'm not sure I knew." Ryoko looked pensive.

"Haki did say he took memories from you." Tenchi recalled. "I wondered why he'd do that when he said it...it seems such a crazy, cruel thing to do."

"Maybe." Ryoko pursed her lips. "But I get the feeling that he didn't really care that way. I think he eradicated as much of my Juraian memories as he could...in case I made my own connection to Kagato and worked out his plans before he had a chance to put them into play. How he knew who my father was...or what clued him in about those gems, I don't know. I didn't know anything of that when I was a child and I still don't, not really. Maybe that's something my mother could have told me, if she was still here to ask. I don't know, and it may not even be the whole truth anyway. Kagato might not be my father. I have Haki's word for it, but that is all...his and Washu's."

A dry smile touched her lips.

"There are two mad fools you wouldn't bet on to tell you the truth."

"So you have all your memories back now?"

"I think so." Ryoko nodded. "They've flooded through me in bits and pieces since...whatever happened to me aboard Karasu. I don't know really how to explain any of that, and the flashbacks don't help. But in some ways I'm glad that I have that bit of me returned. Even though it's hard remembering some of it...it's better to have a complete memory than bits of one. I had snippets of memory...encounters with Ayeka, the way to the palace...and a strong feeling that I really didn't like Jurai. But I didn't really understand what was behind a lot of those things. Now I do. It's good to know."

She smiled slightly.

"And I know my mother's name, too. That's something I didn't have before."

"I'm sorry you lost her so young. I know how that feels."

"Losing her wasn't really such a painful thing. I was too young to understand that it wasn't a game...it's only now I can look back on it and realise that she was murdered and I was with her when she died." Ryoko shrugged. "Then it was just a lot of things I couldn't quite piece together. And at first I thought it would be fine...on Jurai. But things don't always work out."

She bit her lip.

"On the few occasions I saw Ayeka, I wasn't always nice to her. Polite, either. I played rough and I didn't understand social protocol. Hell, I still don't." She mused. "But she wasn't nice to me either, Tenchi. She was a Princess of Jurai and she knew it...repeating her father's words in my face when she was too young to really understand what they meant. There's only so much of that a kid can take before she snaps and lashes out...and I wound up getting into more and more trouble for wild behaviour and outbursts of temper. It became untenable. In the end I ran away."

"And got wound up with Haki." Tenchi pursed his lips. Ryoko nodded.

"Yes, something like that." She agreed. "I won't pretend I was an angel, but it wasn't easy for me either. Nobody else my age could fly, Tenchi. Noone else walked through walls. Yes, some had Juraian magic, but not like mine. And they thought me a demon because of it. Cursed. I hate this planet and I hate being locked up on it. I just want to leave."

"Are you well enough to do that?" Tenchi looked alarmed. "You sure don't look it, you know. You're pale as a ghost, Ryoko. I'm sure you should be resting still."

"Probably I should, but better to take the risk than spend more time in this fake, stuffy environment." Ryoko sighed. Tenchi looked troubled.

"You're serious, aren't you?" He murmured. "You really are going to leave Jurai...and soon?"

"Very soon, if I can track down Ryo Ohki." Ryoko nodded. "She's been strangely elusive of late...I haven't been able to pick up her energy so easily. Or maybe it's because my own magic is exhausted...I don't know. Either way, if you know where she is...I could use the help."

"I'm not letting you fly anywhere until you're fit to do it." Tenchi grabbed her by the wrists, and though Ryoko struggled feebly against his grip, he held her firm. "Don't be crazy, Ryoko! You almost died aboard Karasu. I won't let you try and kill yourself just to make a point to people who probably don't mind either way about it!"

"And you'd care, if I killed myself running away again?" Ryoko snapped back, tears fresh in her eyes. "When you left me entertaining the Galaxy Police while you chased off after Ayeka? I'm not blind. It's all too obvious that you love that woman and I can't stay around here and watch that for all eternity!"

She bit her lip, her cheeks turning pink as she realised what she'd said, and she muttered a curse.

"Damn drug!" She exclaimed. "Stop it! Let me go, Tenchi - right now it's not safe to have a conversation with you about anything!"

"No, I think now is the perfect time to talk to me." Tenchi made no attempt to loose his grip. "You can't fly away from me, Ryoko, so stop fighting, all right? We're going to settle this now, while you can't evade me and tease and confuse me with your games."

"What games?" Ryoko looked wounded. Tenchi raised an eyebrow.

"What games?" He echoed. "Come on, Ryoko. You must know what I mean."

Ryoko clamped her jaw shut, clearly fighting against the impulse to speak. Tenchi grinned.

"All right. If you don't want to talk, you can listen to me instead." He said softly. "Your logic doesn't make any sense. Ayeka lives on Jurai. I live on Earth. And in a few days Ayeka is getting married to a Juraian Lord. He's a nice guy - I've met him. He'll treat her well, and she's going into it with her eyes open. She knows what she's doing. We both do. So how can I be running after Ayeka when she's a taken woman? Explain that to me."

"That doesn't mean anything." Ryoko said sulkily. "You can still love someone, even if they're in love with someone else. Or betrothed to someone else."

"True, but I'm happy for Ayeka." Tenchi said simply. "She and I have talked this through in some detail...and we both know where we stand. She is princess of Jurai, and someone who is very very dear to me. But I'm not in love with her, Ryoko. So you can stop deluding yourself about that. There's no need for you girls to continue to spar...there's no reason whatsoever to carry on a silly fight over nothing."

"It's not over nothing!" Ryoko exclaimed. "It's been over you, you stupid man! Ayeka might fool you with her lies but she doesn't fool me...she's been in love with you pretty much since she arrived on the Earth. And you're my Tenchi, not hers, but like everything, the Princess has to come and take it away! She shows up with her airs and her graces and her beautiful pampered skin and you don't even know that I'm alive. Just because I'm a common space criminal doesn't mean I don't have feelings, you know! And it hurts when the only man that I've ever been in love with leaves me to rot in a prison cell!"

Horror flooded her golden eyes and she forced her jaw shut before she revealed anything else, finally pulling her hands from Tenchi's grasp and fastening both of them over her mouth as if afraid of what she might say next.

Tenchi did not respond for a moment, eying her thoughtfully. Then he reached out a hand, resting it gently on her shoulder.

"Ayeka told me that I needed to wake up and realise a few things." He said at length. "I think she's known longer than either you or I where my thoughts and feelings were drifting, Ryoko. But you're such a conundrum sometimes. You can be the bravest, most unselfish person I know...the one who knows me better than anyone in the world, and the one who I know I can always call on if I need you. And then...then you're the other girl. The one who flirts and pushes and makes me uncomfortable by teasing me and playing games that I don't understand. Those times I get confused...and I don't know what I really want."

Ryoko sank down on the grass, dropping her gaze as she absently picked a blossom, almost automatically beginning to remove its petals.

"I've never felt like this about anyone before." She said softly. "I can't put it into words what it does to me. And if I'm too full on, it's only because I don't know how to handle any of this. I've never been around people so much...not people who cared what was happening to me. You've always taken care of me, Tenchi...you took me in even when you knew who I was and what I'd done. And I didn't ask to be in love with you...but then I don't think many people ask to fall in love. I just can't help it. I only wanted you for my own...and I didn't know how to get your attention any other way."

"I see." Tenchi settled himself down on the grass beside her. "How many times have I broken your heart, Ryoko-chan?"

Ryoko raised golden eyes to him, tears glistening in their depths.

"Too many times for me to count." She admitted. "Please, Tenchi, stop asking me these things. You know I can't stop answering you right now, and it isn't fair. It makes me feel exposed."

"You needn't feel that way." Tenchi assured her. "You're not telling me anything I don't want to hear, you know."

Surprise glittered in Ryoko's expression, and Tenchi nodded, reaching over to pick a nearby red bloom and handing it to her.

"So I'm a little dense too when it comes to the whole romance thing." He admitted, a rueful look entering his dark eyes. "We're not unalike in a lot of ways, you know. Ayeka coined it for me earlier, in fact. She said that we were both willing to fight and die in defence of each other, but when it comes to having a conversation like this..."

He pursed his lips.

"One of us has to be doped up on truth serum and the other still in shock from the fact you almost died." He said wryly. "There's a certain irony in it really, isn't there?"

Ryoko took the flower, glancing at it, and a slight smile touched her lips.

"I guess there is." She agreed. "Though I still wish you hadn't forced it out of me this way."

"Would you ever have told me so plainly, if I hadn't?"

"Maybe not." Ryoko tilted her head, considering. "Maybe I would have just taken Ryo Ohki and left Jurai, heading out into space before the Emperor could make a decision about my future and before you could break my heart over again."

She winced.

"Ouch. I have to stop saying stuff like that. Washu said this would wear off in an hour or two, but I'm still spewing my guts here."

Tenchi laughed. He took the flower gently from her grasp, reaching up to tuck it into her hair. She raised an eyebrow.

"Flowers in my hair? Tenchi, who do you think I am?" She demanded.

"A mad, bad and dangerous space pirate." Tenchi said with a grin. Ryoko shook her head slowly.

"So what happens now?" She asked. "If the Emperor doesn't grant my pardon, what then?"

"He will. Ayeka will turn the screw if she has to." Tenchi said with a shrug. "She's a stubborn woman, and she told me she would push this as far as she could. She already has taken it fairly far. I wouldn't worry, Ryoko. You'll leave Jurai a free woman."

"And then?"

"And then, well, you promised me a trip a long time ago." Tenchi said softly. "Do you remember? A honeymoon in deep space, isn't that what you called it?"

Colour flooded Ryoko's cheeks and she groaned, burying her head in her hands.

"Maybe I don't need truth serum to make a fool of myself." She muttered. Tenchi chuckled.

"Maybe not." He agreed. "But I'd still like to take that trip, Ryoko. And then, well, who knows what next?"

"Planet Earth, perhaps." Ryoko settled herself more comfortably on the grass, stretching out on her front and resting her chin in her hands, gazing up at him thoughtfully. "If your father and grandfather could stand having me back. I might even sweep the shrine, if they agreed to let me stay. You know. Sometimes."

"I think they could be persuaded." Tenchi's eyes twinkled. "Grandfather actually commented that it was a shame I didn't convince any of you girls to stay with me. Actually, he said it was a shame I hadn't talked any of you into marriage - but that isn't something I'm in any hurry to run into."

"Me either." Ryoko shook her head firmly. "But I would like to see the Earth again. There's something about it that makes me feel at home."

She pursed her lips.

"Or maybe that's you. I don't know." She admitted sheepishly, her cheeks pink.

"You do know Washu will be looking for you, if she realises you've gone."

"Let her look." Ryoko shrugged. "She complains enough about playing nursemaid to me anyway, as if I asked her to lock me in a bedroom and gawk at me every few hours."

"Well, if you're feeling up to it, we could take a walk through Jurai. You could show me some of the places you remember from when you were a child." Tenchi suggested. "I've seen it from Ayeka's perspective, but I'd like to see it from yours too, you know."

"Difficult." Ryoko sighed. "I can't fly right now, remember? Most of my favourite places are up high."

"Well, we can still walk." Tenchi got to his feet, hauling her up with him. "And I'm sure your flying will come back, Ryoko. Just give it time."

"Time is something I have plenty of." Ryoko said ruefully. "I guess I can be patient. All right. We'll walk, before Washu sends out a search party or something."

"I think I have time on my hands too, now." Tenchi owned. "Ayeka said that since I discovered my Jurai power I'll be like grandfather - I'll live much longer than most earth people. That's going to be hard to get used to, you know."

"I wondered about that." Ryoko admitted. "I didn't like to think about it, but...I hoped it would be the case. Having seen Lord Yosho and all..." She shrugged her shoulders. "I hoped."

"How old are you really, Ryoko?"

"Tenchi! You should never ask a woman her age!"

"I guess the serum wore off." Tenchi looked amused, and Ryoko laughed, nodding her head.

"I guess it did." She agreed. "But who knows? Maybe one day I'll tell you."

"You and your secrets." Tenchi scolded. Ryoko shrugged.

"I don't want to keep secrets from you, my Tenchi." She said thoughtfully. "Not about my past or my future, or anything else...not now."

"Well, there's plenty of time to share it all with me." Tenchi cupped her chin in his hands, meeting her gaze with a soft one of his own. 

Then, very gently, he kissed her.


End file.
